Canon-McMillan School District to eliminate Chromebooks for younger students

Starting next academic year, the Canon-McMillan School District said students in kindergarten through second grade will no longer have Chromebooks. 

"We're probably the first in the area, that I know of, willing to do this and make this move," Superintendent Greg Taranto said. 

Casey Cromwell's son, Grayson, will be in the first grade at Muse Elementary next school year.   

"It's really affecting their mood," Casey Cromwell said. "We noticed with him, the more he's on a screen or the more TV he watches, the more irritable he is, so we try to limit it."

Taranto said the district has made a concerted effort over the last couple of years to reduce screen time in all grades, "but in particular at our elementary level."

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, today's kindergarteners and incoming students were infants, giving teachers and administrators a front-row seat to the ramifications of remote learning. According to a 2025 national survey conducted by Lexia, kids born during the pandemic are entering kindergarten with fewer school-readiness skills. Educators report that today's 6-year-olds have less foundational literacy, attention and social-emotional development.

"Technology was important, but now that we are removed a number of years from COVID, we're seeing kids way too much using technology right now," said Mark Abbondanza, Canon-McMillan School District's assistant superintendent.

Moving forward, the plan is to eliminate screentime for K-6 students, the district said. It's a move parents say puts students back at the center of the classroom, beyond the screen.

"Good to see the school district is being proactive, thinking about the kids and their well-being," Casey Cromwell said.