And 2025, the Kentucky General Assembly passed a bill aimed at limiting the use of cell phones and K through 12 public schools.

But some education advocates want to take things a step further, turning away from using laptops and tablets for instruction and going back to pen and paper.

As our Emily Printz reports, advocates say it could benefit students and teachers.

Students are telling us that they want a change and what they're experiencing in the classroom.

A big part of that change includes screen usage in schools.

Fleming County Schools superintendent spoke to the Interim Joint Committee on Education about proposed changes in his schools, including limiting screen time.

The school district's proposal would limit usage to 45 minutes a day for kindergarten through fifth graders, 60 minutes for sixth through eighth grade students, and 90 minutes for high schoolers.

One of the things that students are asking us to do, is asking for more authentic learning, more meaningful discussion, collaboration, hands on experiences, fewer technology driven assessments, and learning connected to the real world.

Right now, many schools across the state incorporate technology like Chromebooks and iPads into learning curriculum.

A middle school principal in the Fleming County School District said her teachers are ready for a change.

Students are completely unengaged when using technology, and that doesn't, it doesn't matter how closely you are monitoring them because they have figured everything out.

They know how to do more things on technology than the adults do.

And so they are doing almost everything but what we are asking them to do.

So meeting with teachers at the end of the school year, this year, the discussion was very much about, well, can we just go away from using our Chromebooks?

And I was like, absolutely, why not?

The principal said, right now, school leaders are in the process of ordering physical textbooks for the upcoming school year.

Today's committee also heard from National advocates against using screens for education.

Lawmakers were full of questions about the impacts of devices on learning.

Everything we do, I think now in Kentucky, is online testing from third grade to 11th or 12th grade.

What's your thought on that?

Online tests always bring back lower results than than hand tests.

The presenter said since Kentucky went digital with its standardized testing about a decade ago, scores have steadily declined.

Gen Z is the first generation in recorded history to underperform their parents on nearly every cognitive skill we measure.

Is there a specific age for children at which it's okay for them to start using screen time for learning, and how much screen time is acceptable?

I would say anything primary you could get away with never touching tech.

I've never heard an argument why kindergartner would ever need a screen.

But once you get up into middle school and kids start to take a little bit more control of their homework and learning, that might be where it starts to make a little bit more sense up into high school.

But again, that should be very, very regulated by the teacher as opposed to, kids just having a laptop.

Education Committee chair Senator Stephen West said based on today's testimony, there may be legislation forthcoming for Kentucky Edition.

I'm Emily Prince.

Thank you.

Emily.

Today's Committee on Education also heard from advocates wanting more training for students with dyslexia and a push for more coursework options for advanced students.