By Adam Pagnucco.
If you are an MCPS parent (like me), you have probably seen an MCPS Chromebook. MCPS loans them to students to aid in academics and their use has been widespread since the pandemic. They have also become a significant expense for MCPS as the number of Chromebooks needing repairs nearly doubled from FY22 through FY24.
The Montgomery County Council of PTAs recently completed a survey of parents about MCPS Chromebook use. The survey report summarizes 1,003 responses received from November 20, 2025 to January 12, 2026. The distribution of schools reported by respondents suggests a concentration of responses from the Bethesda-Chevy Chase-Rockville MD-355 corridor, so there is a question of the representativeness of the sample. That said, here are the principal findings on the views of parents.
72% of respondents said there was too much use of Chromebooks in class. The report comments, “Concerns selected included excessive overall screen time (60.5%), use of Chromebooks as ‘brain breaks’ or rewards (49.2%), and that Chromebooks are distracting or unsafe even when used for educational applications (38.8%).”
54% of respondents found their children using the Chromebooks for non-academic purposes like playing games, watching videos and browsing the Internet.
58% of respondents believe that Chromebook misuse should be treated as a disciplinary issue.
87% of respondents answered yes to this question: “Would you like increased use of textbooks, workbooks, pencils, and paper in place of screen-based instruction and homework?
55% of respondents would like an opportunity to opt their child out of screen-based instruction and homework.
The survey report contains many anonymous anecdotes submitted by respondents, including several claiming that students were exposed to pornography on the MCPS Chromebooks.
How will MCPS react to this survey? Will anything come of it?