Screen Time Halved for Blackford County High Schoolers
From the Blackford County Schools Board meeting on October 27, 2026
Average student screen time at Blackford County Schools' high school has dropped from around four hours a day last year to about two hours now, the high school principal reported October 27.
The change is part of a districtwide effort to reduce classroom screen use. The district has blocked common distractions such as Spotify and YouTube background use and encouraged more reading from paper books. Discipline has also fallen sharply alongside tighter phone and device controls.
The update came during a discussion of Indiana's new A-F school grading system. The model considers attendance and academic growth along with test results, high school credits and diploma type. Dual credit and work-based learning also factor into the grades.
The district reported math performance nearly 3 percentage points above the state average. Third-grade IREAD performance at the intermediate school improved 10.8 percentage points and moved above the state average. Math intervention has been added in grades K-8 alongside existing reading intervention.
School grades are expected to reach districts in November and become public in December. The discussion did not involve a board vote.
Source: YouTube transcript — Blackford County - Schools Board Meeting - October 27, 2026
Some information may be inaccurate due to video audio quality.
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