After implementing an initiative to reduce screen time last August, a North Carolina school district is seeing results that resemble pre-COVID learning environments, with improved focus, behavior, reading and writing.

For decades, the cost of course materials has increased far beyond the rate of inflation, and Salem State University students say open-resource course materials online would better serve them and their professors, both.

The San Luis Obispo County elections office will implement the new system in the June 2 statewide primary. It intakes hundreds of ballots at once, then can “talk” to a registration system to verify signatures.

The funding, totaling $48.5 million, derives from the Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment program. It is expected to enable connections to 22,000 homes and businesses in the state.

The state says its approach improves agility while meeting strict new security requirements.

Residents can add state driver’s licenses and IDs to their Apple Wallets, the secretary of state said Tuesday, enabling their use at select airports, restaurants and bars. An expansion to Android users is next.

The new funding round follows the recent acquisition by the company of a Canada-based emergency communications tech provider. RapidSOS has raised more than $450 million since its launch in 2012.

By-mail options for voters in the state’s most populous city include casting ballots electronically, which has been offered since 2018. A more recent “secure document portal” further empowers residents.

AI@UW, an initiative largely funded by a philanthropic donation, will include AI literacy, as well as establish an AI governance committee, scholarships for students, and investments in resources and equipment.

Some education officials say building trust with parents and students has been key to the success of California's Phone-Free School Act, and will be essential in the conversations to come.