Deptford school district has adjusted cutoff times to its upcoming Chromebook policy

Beginning Friday, the Deptford Township School District will disable district-issued Chromebooks at night to force students to log off and get ready for the next school day.

After an outcry from parents and students when the policy was announced last week, the district announced a revised shutoff schedule Tuesday that, based on their grade level, will give students additional time on the devices nightly.

In a letter to the community, Superintendent Kevin Kanauss said the South Jersey school district made changes in response to the biggest concerns raised — that students have extracurriculars, including sports and activities, as well as jobs and family or faith-based obligations.

“We certainly understand the need to balance these commitments and fit everything into an increasingly limited amount of time,” the superintendent wrote.

Knauss said school Chromebooks will be disabled at 9 p.m. for elementary students; 10 p.m. for middle schoolers, and 11:30 p.m.. for high schoolers. Deptford enrolls nearly 4,000 students in K-12.

All Deptford students are given a Chromebook for in-class activities. Students in fourth through 12th grades are allowed to take them home nightly to complete assignments or study for assessments. After schools were abruptly closed during the pandemic, schools began relying heavily on Chromebooks and devices to offer remote instruction.

Kanauss announced the new policy a week ago, citing an uptick in screen time on devices at night during hours the district said students should be resting and recovering from the school day. Some students are using the device to chat with each other in the middle of the night, he said.

“To put it directly, we are not in the business of assigning bedtimes or dictating household rules; however, we absolutely do have a duty to ensure the tools we hand out are used as intended,” he said.

A 2023 study by Penn State found that time kids spend texting or playing video games before bedtime reduces the time that they actually sleep — more than passive screen time such as watching a video. It also found that for every hour during the day that kids spent playing video games beyond their usual amount, their sleep was delayed by about 10 minutes.

After getting objections that students would be unable to complete homework in the time allotted to use devices, Kanauss said the district surveyed its staff and believes the assignments “are quite reasonable.” The district has an enrichment period during the school day set aside for working on assignments, he said.

According to the survey, 48% percent of district teachers assign homework nightly, with most of those assignments made on Mondays. Most said it would take the average student about 5 to 15 minutes to complete their homework, the survey said.

Some parents have said the district should let them determine when their children should log off. Others said students have busy lives and need more time to juggle activities and homework.

Deptford uses Lightspeed Systems software to help track how and when students are using their Chromebooks at home and in school.