Overview
- The LAUSD Board unanimously approved the policy on Tuesday that bans classroom device use for preschool through first grade and phases in graded minute limits for older students between August 2026 and January 2027.
- Limits include 0 minutes for preschool–1st grade, 20 minutes per day (100 per week) for 2nd–3rd, 30 minutes per day (150 per week) for 4th–5th, 60 minutes per subject per week (not to exceed 360) for 6th–8th, and 90 minutes per subject per week (not to exceed 600) for 9th–12th.
- The policy allows clear exceptions for computer-intensive classes, district and state assessments, and students with disabilities, and it gives parents the option to decline take-home district devices for their children.
- LAUSD will buy laptop carts for classroom use, install software to track and block content, and estimates roughly $4.25 million in one-time equipment costs and about $1 million a year for monitoring software.
- Supporters call the plan a model for other districts while critics warn reduced take-home access could deepen the digital divide and urge an immediate moratorium on classroom generative AI as the district's AI committee develops guidance.