COLUMBUS, Ohio \u2013 State lawmakers rejected, at least for now, a $225,000 request for 120 virtual reality headsets for incarcerated youth. <\/p>\n
The Department of Youth Services asked the Ohio Controlling Board, a panel of Ohio lawmakers that approve certain state contracts, to OK the purchase of the headsets. They would go to four facilities that comprise a school district the department runs for the kids in state custody.<\/p>\n
Steven Hrinko, who oversees procurement for the department, said Monday the money would come from a federal grant to help support science, technology, engineering and math education. <\/p>\n
The grant can fund either equipment or teachers\u2019 salaries. Hrinko said the grant would start a pilot program, which he believed was a first for virtual reality in schools. He acknowledged some concern with kids entering a whole new realm of immersive screen time.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s hard to keep kids\u2019 attention,\u201d he said. \u201cThis is another means to help them learn.\u201d<\/p>\n
The headsets allow students to \u201caccess different topics such as sciences, writing skills, human biology to name a few,\u201d according to the contract approval request. The headsets themselves are a bright orange, boxy rectangle, strapped on to students\u2019 heads like goggles, with a wire feeding from the side of the device to a handheld controller. <\/p>\n
And the technology allows teachers to view the devices in real time as students go through virtual reality lessons, allowing for feedback. Illinois-based Avantis Education Inc., which provided the lowest bid for the headsets, describes itself in marketing materials<\/a> as the world\u2019s leading virtual and augmented reality solution for schools. <\/p>\n While most Controlling Board requests are approved with little to no back-and-forth, two House Republicans \u2013 state Reps. Brian Stewart and Nick Santucci \u2013 questioned Hrinko on screen time implications or other uses for the grant. <\/p>\n The board then broke into recess. It reconvened, with its chair announcing it would defer action on the request for more discussion. State Sen. Catherine Ingram, a Cincinnati-area Democrat, said she wants more clarity on how the department would evaluate the use of the VR headsets and why they\u2019re needed in the first place. <\/p>\n When asked how the headsets serve the kids Aaron Mulvey, a spokesman for the Department of Youth Services, said they offer \u201cstandards-aligned resources like worksheets and readings alongside immersive content\u201d to complete a \u201cblended\u201d model. <\/p>\n \u201cThis technology provides innovative and multifaceted tools to enrich youth education across diverse subjects while simultaneously supporting their well-being with the goal of enhancing public safety through education,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n