Gov. Kay Ivey’s commission studying the use of screens in Alabama classrooms is asking parents, teachers and school leaders to weigh in before it delivers recommendations to the governor later this year.
The Governor’s Commission on Screen-Based Instruction has launched a statewide survey examining how technology is being used in K-12 schools and how parents and educators view its benefits and drawbacks.
Ivey created the commission in July through Executive Order 745, directing the panel to study the risks and benefits of screen-based instruction and develop evidence-based recommendations for Alabama schools. The commission must submit its findings to Ivey, the Legislature and the State Board of Education by Dec. 1.
“Children’s overexposure to screens is a barrier to classroom learning and the acquisition of critical emotional and social skills,” Ivey said when announcing the commission. “We must continue exploring the proper role of screen time in classrooms of all ages.”
The survey is directly tied to that work.
University of Alabama professor Dr. Cailin Kerch, who serves as vice chair of the 13-member commission, recommended during the panel’s first meeting that it conduct a statewide survey because no existing survey addressed the specific questions the commission was studying. The commission unanimously approved the proposal.
Separate surveys are collecting feedback from families, teachers, administrators and other education professionals. Questions address how often students use school-issued devices, whether the state should set limits on screen-based instruction, whether devices should remain at school and how appropriate screens are for activities ranging from testing and digital textbooks to coding and generative artificial intelligence.
About 2,000 people had completed the survey as of last week, according to Kerch. The survey closes Oct. 26.
Kerch said the commission is not approaching the issue as a simple choice between technology and traditional instruction.
“It’s not a question of how much screen time students are getting but rather what is the quality of that screen time,” she said.
The commission follows two recent Alabama efforts addressing student screen use: the 2025 FOCUS Act addressing cellphone use in schools and the 2026 Healthy Early Development and Screen Time Act, which limits screen exposure in early childhood education and childcare settings.
The survey is being administered through the University of Alabama College of Education.
Take the commission’s classroom screen-time survey if you are a Alabama public school teacher, librarian, administrator, Instructional Technology director or staff member, or a parent or guardian of a student attending a K-12 public school.
Sawyer Knowles is a state and political reporter for Yellowhammer News. You may contact him at [email protected].
