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Bartlesville Public Schools
Posted: May 20, 2026 2:29 PMUpdated: May 20, 2026 2:29 PM
Bartlesville Sixth Graders Will No Longer Receive Individual Chromebooks
Nathan Thompson
Incoming Bartlesville Public Schools Superintendent LaDonna Chancellor says the district will stop issuing take-home Chromebooks to sixth-grade students this fall following concerns from teachers and parents about balancing technology with traditional classroom instruction.
Chancellor shared the update with the Board of Education this week. She says concerns raised in February prompted listening sessions with sixth-grade teachers at Central and Madison middle schools in late April.
According to Chancellor, teachers described ongoing struggles with students managing Chromebooks appropriately in the classroom.
“I really walked away going, I mean, like the sixth graders — to them it’s a toy,” Chancellor said. “That’s how they see it. Then in class we ask them, ‘Okay, put away your toy, don’t play and focus on instructional tasks,’ and that’s hard.”
Under the new approach, sixth graders will no longer receive individual Chromebooks during registration for the upcoming school year. Instead, the district plans to purchase Chromebook carts similar to those used in elementary schools. Teachers will be able to check out devices for classroom instruction when needed, but students will not have 24-hour access to them.
Chancellor says the change is intended to create a healthier balance between technology use and traditional teaching methods, not eliminate classroom technology altogether.
Additional listening sessions are planned this fall with seventh- and eighth-grade teachers at both middle schools, along with discussions at the high school level about appropriate Chromebook use.
While she said she does not anticipate removing Chromebooks from high school students, Chancellor says the district wants to ensure the devices are being used effectively as instructional tools.
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