Ivey Appoints Tuscaloosa Educators To K-12 Screen Time Commission

Two Tuscaloosa teachers and an associate professor at the University of Alabama have been named by Governor Ivey to the Governor’s Commission on Screen-Based Instruction.

Executive Order 745 sets the mission of the commission, "...to study the use, risks and benefits of screen-based instruction in Alabama’s K-12 classrooms and provide evidence-based recommendations on its use."

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“Responsible use of classroom screen time is a top priority of my Administration, and while we are already making a difference by passing two signature laws to address it, we can still do more,” Gov. Ivey, a former teacher stated in a press release. “Children’s overexposure to screens is a barrier to classroom learning and the acquisition of critical emotional and social skills. We must continue exploring the proper role of screen time in classrooms of all ages.”

The Alabama Legislature passed and the governor signed into law the FOCUS Act in 2025. It prohibits cell phones in classrooms and requires local school boards to adopt internet safety policies. The Healthy Early Development and Screen Time Act was passed this past spring and limits the amount of screen time for children in kindergarten classrooms and childcare facilities.

Selected to the 13-member commission from Tuscaloosa were:

•  Laren Hammonds (One Middle/High School Teacher) Middle School Teacher,
• Chris Jenks (Technology Director) Technology Director, Tuscaloosa City Schools, and
• Dr. Cailin Kerch (Higher Education Researcher) Clinical Associate Professor of Early Childhood Education, Curriculum and Instruction at the University of Alabama.

“Traditional classroom teaching methods emphasizing human interaction must remain the core of a child’s learning experience. We must therefore build on our progress by exploring how K-12 classrooms can also benefit from adjusting screen access so that it enhances and does not detract from learning. The creation of this Commission sets that process in motion,” Ivey said.

The findings of the Commission must be submitted to the governor; legislature and the state Board of Education by December 1st of this year. They will serve to inform new legislation addressing screen-based instruction that could be considered during the 2027 legislative session.