Alabama leads the nation with HB 584

Guest Opinion by Emily Jones

For years, parents across Alabama have been raising the same concern: our youngest students are spending too much time staring at screens and not enough time actually learning.

In kindergarten through fifth grade classrooms across the country, laptops and tablets have increasingly replaced handwriting, physical books, and direct instruction from teachers. Children are often assigned hours of digital coursework, sometimes working independently through programs designed more around efficiency and data collection than meaningful learning.

Parents know something isn’t right. Teachers know something isn’t right.

Across our state, parents routinely tell the same story: their child spends hours a day on a Chromebook at school, only to come home with even more screen-based assignments.

Alabama now has the opportunity to change that.

A new bill introduced this session, HB 584, sponsored by Rep. Jeana Ross, establishes common-sense standards for screen-based instruction in kindergarten through fifth grade. If passed, Alabama will become one of the first states in the nation to place clear guardrails around classroom technology and restore balance to elementary education.

At its core, this legislation recognizes something education researchers have been saying for years: young children learn best through direct instruction, handwriting, physical books, hands-on materials, and meaningful interaction with teachers and classmates.

Technology can be a useful tool when used carefully and intentionally. But it should never replace the foundational teaching methods that help children build literacy, attention, and critical thinking skills.

HB 584 puts those principles into practice.

The bill requires the Alabama State Board of Education to establish standards ensuring that screen-based instruction remains a supplementary tool, not the primary method of teaching. It protects core instructional practices like explicit phonics instruction, handwriting, physical reading materials, manipulatives in math, and teacher-led discussion — all essential components of early childhood education.

The legislation also recognizes a reality many parents are already experiencing at home: excessive screen exposure can take a toll on children’s focus, eyesight, and overall development.

That’s why the bill includes practical guardrails such as regular vision breaks and guidance that screen-based instructional time should not routinely exceed two hours per day, including work assigned to be completed at home.

In other words, it restores balance.

Just as important, HB 584 creates a statewide task force of educators, child development experts, literacy specialists, and parents to review the latest research and provide ongoing recommendations for appropriate technology use in elementary classrooms.

This ensures Alabama’s policies remain grounded in real science and evolve as new research emerges.

Rep. Jeana Ross deserves tremendous credit for bringing forward legislation that puts the well-being of children ahead of the interests of the education technology industry. Over the past decade, billions of dollars have poured into digital learning platforms, often with very little scrutiny about whether those tools actually benefit young students.

HB 584 represents a thoughtful shift in priorities: children first, technology second.

At a time when many states are still doubling down on screen-heavy classrooms, Alabama has the opportunity to lead the nation in restoring developmentally appropriate learning environments for young students.

Parents across our state have been asking for this kind of leadership. Teachers have been asking for it too.

This legislation recognizes a simple truth: technology should serve education, not replace it.

By setting clear expectations for how screens are used in elementary classrooms, Alabama can help ensure that our youngest students develop the literacy, attention, and foundational skills they need to succeed — both in school and in life.

HB 584 is not about eliminating technology. It’s about using it wisely.

More importantly, it’s about remembering that the most powerful learning tools in any elementary classroom will always be a great teacher, a good book, and a child’s curiosity.

With HB 584, Alabama has the opportunity to show the rest of the country what it looks like to put children’s development ahead of convenience and corporate profits. Rep. Jeana Ross has done the hard work of bringing forward thoughtful, research-based legislation that restores balance in our classrooms and puts the well-being of students first.

Now the responsibility shifts to the rest of the Alabama Legislature.

Lawmakers often talk about doing what’s best for our children. HB 584 is a chance to prove it.

Sometimes the right thing to do is not the easiest path. It requires pushing back against entrenched systems and powerful interests that have grown comfortable with the status quo.

But leadership isn’t about doing what’s easy — it’s about doing what’s right, even when it’s hard.

For the sake of Alabama’s children and the future of our classrooms, the Legislature should pass HB 584 this session and make Alabama a national leader in restoring real learning in our schools.

Emily Jones is a North Alabama mother, education advocate, and chair of Moms for Liberty–Madison County. She is currently running for the Alabama State Board of Education in District 8, representing Madison, Limestone, Jackson, and DeKalb counties.

For more information about Jones and her campaign, visit https://www.emilyjonesforstateboard.com or follow her on social media.

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