Canon-McMillan School District bans Chromebooks for youngest students next year

The Canon-McMillan School District will stop giving Chromebooks to students in kindergarten through second grade next year. This decision makes it the first in the region to take such a step, according to Superintendent Greg Taranto. The move follows concerns about the impact of screen time on young learners, especially after the pandemic.

A 2025 national survey by Lexia found that remote learning during COVID-19 hurt kindergarten readiness. Today’s 6-year-olds show weaker literacy, shorter attention spans, and delayed social-emotional skills due to increased screen use. Parents like Casey Cromwell have noticed these effects firsthand—her son Grayson, who will enter first grade at Muse Elementary next year, becomes more irritable after too much screen time.

The district has already been cutting back on screen time across all grades, with a stronger focus on elementary pupils. Now, it plans to remove digital devices entirely for children in kindergarten through sixth grade. Cromwell supports the change, calling it a proactive way to put students’ well-being first and return focus to in-person learning. Superintendent Taranto stated that the decision aims to shift attention back to traditional classroom interactions. Parents have welcomed the policy, saying it helps children move beyond screens and back to hands-on education.

The new policy will take effect at the start of the next school year. Chromebooks will no longer be issued to pupils in kindergarten through second grade, with further reductions planned for older elementary students. The district’s approach reflects growing concerns about the long-term effects of early screen exposure on child development.