Op-Ed: I⁠t⁠’s T⁠i⁠me ⁠t⁠o Power Down ⁠t⁠he Chromebook Exper⁠i⁠men⁠t⁠

July 22, 2025

Bryce Fiedler

CALN Director, CALN Founding Member, & CALN Board of Directors Secretary

Children engaged in learning with a laptop in a vibrant classroom.

The following is an op-ed from Bryce Fiedler, director of CALN.

North Carolina’s largest public school district made headlines this spring after reaching an obvious but necessary conclusion: Supplying every kid with a Chromebook is not sustainable.

During the pandemic, the Wake County Public School System (WCPSS), like many others, started to provide all students with a district-issued laptop, known as a “one-to-one” policy. But with COVID dollars now exhausted, these costly, long-term commitments have become a heavy burden, as more school districts report deficits and other expenses like building repairs and maintenance stack up.

Wake County leaders are now rethinking one-to-one access, with talks of scaling back their device initiative. Other districts should follow suit. Instruction built so heavily around screens is not only a financial liability — it’s also taking a toll on students’ learning.

To read the full piece in the Carolina Journal, click here.