VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — A major classroom shift could be coming to Virginia Beach City Public Schools as school leaders consider scaling back Chromebook use for the district’s youngest learners.
A school board policy committee is recommending that students in pre-kindergarten through first grade no longer use Chromebooks or similar devices during classroom instruction beginning in the 2026–2027 school year. The proposal would also limit take-home Chromebook use for second graders, allowing devices to go home only during weather closures or emergencies.
District leaders say the recommendation comes after months of feedback from teachers, parents and media specialists about the amount of screen time children experience in early elementary classrooms. Supporters of the proposal argue the change would help restore more hands-on learning, peer interaction and foundational literacy instruction during critical developmental years…