When your kindergartner walks into a District 203 classroom Thursday morning, the iPad that used to come home in a backpack will stay on a shelf at school.
Starting with the Aug. 13 first day of school, the district is rolling out new digital learning guidelines that reduce device use across all 14 elementary buildings. Assistant Superintendent for Learning Services Jayne Willard and Director of Innovation and Learning Matt Langes presented the changes at the Aug. 3 Board of Education meeting, calling the shift a balanced approach to technology developed over two years of educator collaboration and stakeholder feedback.
Here's what changes for families:
- Early childhood through grade 1: iPads (issued on a 2:1 model) remain at school. They will not be used during recess or as rewards. Devices go home only for planned eLearning or inclement weather days.
- Grade 2: Chromebooks stay at school under the same conditions.
- Grades 3-5: Chromebooks may go home up to two days per week for specific instructional purposes, but not on Fridays, before breaks or on student trip days.
- IEP exception: Students whose Individualized Education Programs require home device access will continue to receive it.
The policy marks a deliberate pivot from what the district calls "passive consumption": watching videos, clicking through slides, completing repetitive digital worksheets. The new emphasis is on "active creation," where students use devices to design, record, explain concepts and collaborate with peers.
"Students still need opportunities for productive struggle, to handwrite, for face-to-face discussion and problem solving, collaboration, for movement, experimentation, and authentic human interactions," Willard said at the Aug. 3 meeting.
Overall screen time in elementary classrooms is expected to decrease from prior years, according to the district's presentation to the board.
Board member Holly Blastic said the plan "strikes the right balance," praising the emphasis on handwriting and physical movement. Board member Joseph Kozminski called the focus on digital citizenship and AI literacy "so critical right now." Vice President Kristine Gericke, who said she commits thoughts to memory best when writing on paper and pen, expressed hope the update would meet each student's learning style.
The guidelines were developed by cross-functional committees that included teachers, IT staff, learning support coaches, building administrators and specialists. District 203 first launched its 1:1 device program in 2015-16 and expanded it districtwide during the pandemic. A reflection and rebalancing phase began in 2023-24, leading to the current framework.
The district plans to extend its technology review to grades 6-8 and 9-12 next, with middle and high school guidelines expected in 2027.
What parents should know next
A parent learning series on digital learning and AI literacy launches this fall. The first session, called the "Core Connection Session," is scheduled for Wednesday, Sept. 9. Details on format and registration have not yet been released; families should check naperville203.org for updates.
Special education note: Families of students with IEPs should confirm device accommodations with their child's case manager before the first day of school. The official guidelines state that EC-1 devices may go home when "required by an IEP."
School Events Ahead
- Thursday, Aug. 13 — First day of school, District 203 (all schools)
- Wednesday, Sept. 9 — Core Connection Session: parent learning series on digital learning and AI literacy, District 203 (time/location TBA at naperville203.org)
