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UPDATE: The school board unanimously voted in favor of the proposal. The board said parents can opt to leave the iPad at the school if the child is in kindergarten through second grade.

Original story:

FISHERS, Ind. (March 23, 2016) –  Parents at Hamilton Southeastern Schools are at odds over a plan to require kids in kindergarten through fourth grade to use iPads in the classroom every day.  A decision on the plan could come Wednesday night at the district’s school board meeting.

HSE Schools already rolled out the 1:1 tablet program for students in fifth through twelfth grades. The goal is to implement the program for the youngest students in fall 2016, but some parents say they want to limit screen time for kids and disagree on required use of a tablet.

” If you give a child a screen of their very own,  they get the impression that it’s a good thing,” said Fishers mom Diane Flora. “It becomes even harder to set boundaries with it.”

A petition against the 1:1 plan garnered nearly 600 signatures.  In response, parents in favor of the iPad plan drafted their own petition.

“It’s just a tool for enhancement and to amplify learning,” said Sara Mills-Henderson, who supports the 1:1 plan. “It’s not going to take away from the classroom,  it’s just going to improve it.”

A spokesperson for HSE Schools shared this statement with CBS4:

“We will discuss with the Board a proposed option that addresses the various perspectives that have emerged over the last several weeks. HSE Schools is very fortunate to have an engaged school community. Our residents are welcome to attend the meeting to hear the presentation first-hand this Wednesday night at 7 p.m. at Fishers Junior High School.”

The school board meeting is scheduled to take place the school’s large instruction room Wednesday night.