California shifts on student screens

California lawmakers are backing away from a statewide bell-to-bell phone ban for all grades and aiming the toughest rule at younger students instead. (courthousenews.com) On April 22, the Assembly Education Committee advanced Assembly Bill 1644 after author Al Muratsuchi agreed to narrow it from transitional kindergarten through 12th grade to transitional kindergarten through eighth grade. The amended bill would still push high schools toward restrictions and would require parents to have at least one way to contact students during school hours. (courthousenews.com) That change came less than two years after California enacted Assembly Bill 3216, which requires school districts, county offices of education and charter schools to adopt policies by July 1, 2026, to limit or prohibit student smartphone use and update those policies every five years. Muratsuchi’s new bill would replace that local-policy framework with a statewide prohibition starting July 1, 2027. (leginfo.legislature.ca.gov) (courthousenews.com) Los Angeles Unified School District moved in a different direction on April 21, when its board unanimously approved a resolution to create districtwide classroom screen-time limits by the 2026-27 school year. The policy calls for a ban on district-issued devices for early education through first grade and grade-by-grade daily and weekly caps for older students. (k12dive.com) The Los Angeles plan reaches beyond phones. It would bar student-led YouTube and other video-streaming use on district devices, require elementary and middle school students to stay off devices during passing periods, lunch and recess, and encourage grades 2 through 5 to use laptop carts or computer labs instead of one-device-per-student programs. (k12dive.com) That vote builds on Los Angeles Unified’s June 18, 2024 decision to become the largest U.S. school district to approve a phone-free school day, with implementation set for January 2025. The district says it enrolls more than 520,000 students, making any change there a large test case for California schools. (lausd.org) (boe.lausd.org) In Sacramento, even supporters of stricter rules said schools are already racing to meet the 2024 deadline. The Association of California School Administrators told lawmakers districts are doing a “double-take” because the new bill would scrap the system they are still building. (courthousenews.com) The debate has also widened from phones to habits. TechNet, a technology trade group, told lawmakers the issue is “not about limiting technology” but about using it thoughtfully, while Los Angeles board member Nick Melvoin said the district was trying to “recalibrate” after expanding one-to-one device access during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020. (courthousenews.com) (k12dive.com) California’s next decisions now sit on two tracks: Assembly Bill 1644 heads to the Assembly Appropriations Committee, and Los Angeles Unified must finalize its screen-time policy by June for rollout in 2026-27. The state is still restricting student devices, but the rules are getting more specific about age, setting and what counts as useful screen time. (courthousenews.com) (k12dive.com)