Smart glasses are now off-limits during testing in Rutherford County classrooms, after the local school board moved to ban the wearable devices over fears students could use them to cheat. The decision adds Tennessee’s Rutherford County to a fast-growing list of school systems nationwide tightening rules around internet-connected eyewear as the technology becomes harder to spot and easier to misuse.
According to WKRN News 2, the Rutherford County Board of Education banned smart glasses during testing, with school board members saying they worry the devices will make cheating easier for students. The station’s report does not detail when the ban takes effect, which testing sessions or locations it covers, or whether any exceptions exist for students with disabilities or medical needs.
Nearby, Germantown Municipal School District has already spelled out similar restrictions for families, warning that during any state assessment, students may not wear or access any smart devices, and that devices present during testing may result in an invalidated test under Tennessee guidelines, per the Germantown Municipal School District. That district also notes that medically necessary devices, such as glucose monitors, are permitted when documented through an IEP, 504 Plan, ILP, or healthcare plan.
A National Pattern Takes Shape
Rutherford County is far from alone in confronting the issue. Smart-glasses bans have been adopted more on a district-by-district basis across the country, including in school systems in Florida and Massachusetts, according to Gizmodo. The same report notes that the College Board banned smart glasses for anyone taking the SAT, citing their unique ability to help people cheat…