Fourth-graders at Reston's eight elementary schools will study Virginia history on a screen for at least another year.
The Fairfax County School Board approved a $175,000 digital textbook contract on the same night it passed a resolution calling for less screen time in classrooms.
Hunter Mill District representative Melanie Meren, who represents Reston, voted yes on the one-year contract extension with Five Ponds Press Books at the board's June 25 meeting. She made clear she wasn't happy about it.
"Without a policy, colleagues, our default is to allow digital learning and promote use of devices," Meren said, adding that she felt compelled to approve the extension so roughly 15,000 FCPS fourth-graders would have access to a social studies textbook at all.
As of the June 25 vote, the district owned only enough print copies of "Our Virginia: Past and Present" for shared classroom use. A planned transition to one-per-student print textbooks was delayed a year after Superintendent Michelle Reid proposed cuts to address a $28.9 million shortfall in the fiscal year 2027 budget.
The contract extension covers a digital textbook, replacement print copies as needed, and supplemental materials that can be printed. It affects students at all eight Reston-area elementary schools in the Hunter Mill District: Aldrin, Armstrong, Dogwood, Forest Edge, Hunters Woods ES for Arts and Sciences, Lake Anne, Sunrise Valley and Terraset.
Same night, opposite signals
The tension was not lost on board members. Minutes before approving the digital contract, the board passed a resolution supporting limitations on screen time and device access by grade level, along with opt-out options for families. The resolution is a statement of principle on "instructional technology," not a binding policy mandate.
Eight students and parents testified at the June 25 meeting calling for technology limits. One parent said she was withdrawing her child in favor of private school due to an overreliance on devices.
Mount Vernon District representative Mateo Dunne said he supported the contract extension "with great reluctance" and called for print textbooks to be included in next year's proposed budget. Dranesville District representative Robyn Lady noted that some learners benefit from digital options even as others do better with print.
Superintendent Reid said she would work with staff to explore how the materials are delivered but offered no timeline for a shift to print.
Parent advocates push back
Jennifer Cheng, co-founder of FCPS Parents for Intentional Tech, said after the meeting that each additional year on screens means another group of 9- and 10-year-olds learns Virginia history through a device. She called for moving to physical textbooks as quickly as possible, consistent with the board's new resolution.
Manasi Pandit Long, a physician and member of the same group, questioned when FCPS would stop renewing digital contracts and "deferring on our children's education."
