DSUSD policy rethinks how much screen time is too much

“When you walk into a classroom where every single kid is sitting on a device, it’s depressing,” one board member said. “It is not engaging.” (Photo: Shutterstock)

The Desert Sands Unified School District Board of Education received a presentation Tuesday outlining a new district-wide framework for managing student screen time and technology use, replacing rigid minute-based limits with a system built around four guiding questions.

The framework, called the RISE Intentionality Check, asks teachers and staff to evaluate any classroom technology by whether it respects student attention and privacy, requires genuine student thinking, adds real learning value, and protects human connection and well-being.

“Think of it like nutrition,” Tiffany Norton, the district’s chief innovation and information officer said. “200 calories of candy and 200 calories of fresh vegetables are similar in calorie count, but they nourish a child very differently.”

As part of the rollout, the district has configured Google admin settings to block open, algorithm-driven YouTube browsing on student accounts. Videos not explicitly assigned through Google Classroom will remain blocked on school devices or when students are logged into district accounts.

Each school principal has also been directed to designate at least one screen-free zone on campus this year.

Board members voiced support for the shift away from blanket time limits, which some districts nationally have adopted. One board member described the difference a purposeful lesson can make.

“When you walk into a classroom where every single kid is sitting on a device, it’s depressing,” the board member said. “It is not engaging.”

The district plans to audit its digital tools over the coming year to narrow each subject area down to a core set of software programs, and will roll out toolkits with guidance tailored to administrators, teachers, students and families. Officials said the effort will also lean on students themselves to help shape norms among their peers, including potential phone-free lunch periods.

Officials acknowledged the policy will take time to implement consistently across campuses and said assistive technology used by students with disabilities or English learners will not be subject to the same restrictions, since those tools are considered essential for access rather than passive screen use.

“The exact number of minutes on a clock will be forgotten,” Norton said. “What our students learn to create, analyze, and build will not.”