As about 500,000 Los Angeles Unified School District students returned to class Wednesday, the district began enforcing a new policy that sharply limits screen time in schools. The rules, approved by the LAUSD Board of Education in June, phase in by grade level over the coming months and years.
Under the policy, students in grades 2 and 3 will be limited to 20 minutes of screen time a day starting in November, while students in grades 4 and 5 will be limited to 30 minutes a day. Beginning in January 2027, students in grades 6 through 8 will be limited to 60 minutes per subject per week, and students in grades 9 through 12 will be limited to 90 minutes per subject per week.
The district is also ending the practice of automatically issuing take-home computers to students and blocking access during school hours to YouTube and major social media sites. Nick Melvoin, a member of the school board, said student devices were essential during the COVID-19 pandemic, but that it is now time to reevaluate the role of educational technology and balance access with teaching methods that support student growth.
LAUSD is also putting more electric buses on the road this school year. Daniel Kang, the district’s transportation director, said continued investment over the past five years has allowed LAUSD to replace 250 of its 1,300 school buses with electric models.
