CONWAY, SC (WBTW) – Monday, the Horry County School Board decided it would not add students to classrooms to afford digital tablets for students. However, the decision did not mean full distribution of the devices will happen.
Over the last couple months, the Horry County School Board has talked about adding as many as two students to classrooms to afford the Personalized Digital Learning initiative or PDL. With PDL, each student receives a digital tablet.
“When we first started the PDL, we were told it would cost an additional $6 million a year and we did not know if we would have the funds to pay for it,” said Horry County Board of Education Chairman Joe Defeo.
Three years after the PDL initiative started, Defeo says the district knows it has the money to afford tablet costs without adding more kids to the classroom.
However, this decision does not mean full distribution of the tablets is coming.
“We want more technology in the schools, even in third or fourth grade, but I’m personally not sure that each student needs to have a device on everything they do,” he said.
Right now all students from fifth grade and up have tablets. On Monday, the district was presented with “Apple’s Distinguished Program Award” for its middle school PDL program.
Officials say it is the first time an entire school district won the award in the state of South Carolina. However, it won’t factor into if and when third and fourth graders get iPads.
“For me the award is great, but it’s not going to change my mind or make a difference. We do what we feel individually is right for the kids, and the teachers and the parents,” said Defeo.
Defeo says at this stage in student’s lives, they’re still learning the basics of education like reading and writing. He goes on to explain the topic of full PDL distribution will be handled by the technology committee.
However, no date or agenda is set for the next technology meeting. So the future of PDL in Horry County is still unknown.
