K-12

A new bill offers grant funding to purchase smartphone bags for schools that prohibit the use of cellphones during the school day. A statewide prohibition on student cellphone use during school is also in the works.

Amid the national conversation about whether cellphones belong in schools, a recent high school graduate from North Carolina defends them as tools for lonely students to find and connect with like-minded peers.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul inched toward a statewide ban on smartphones in schools, launching a “listening tour” that would span the state, aiming to hear from teachers and parents.

As schools face the reality of being the No. 1 target of cyber attacks in the U.S., they need cybersecurity strategies specific to their users and security tools interoperable with their particular tech ecosystems.

An 18-year-old youth advocate from the nonprofit Work2BeWell argues that instead of banning cellphones, schools should teach students proper cellphone etiquette alongside digital literacy.

A teen who recently graduated from Sycamore High School in Cincinnati says students need to be able to contact their parents in case of schedule changes or emergencies, but they should take regular breaks from screens.

Still in committee as part of the Kids Off Social Media Act, Eyes on the Board aims to tie E-rate funding to the restriction of social media access on any school networks supported by these federal funds.

Westmont Hilltop School District in Pennsylvania worked with the school website company Edlio to build a mobile app for sharing news, information about events, field trip permission slips and other communications.

New AI tools from the ed-tech software company Instructure include automated discussion summaries, content translation and a Smart Search feature, with the addition of Khanmigo Teaching Tools planned for September.

Despite the financial collapse of the developer behind Los Angeles Unified School District's multi-million dollar AI platform, Supt. Alberto Carvalho still intends it to create individualized education plans for students.

New guidance from the U.S. Department of Education recommends that AI not be allowed to make decisions unchecked by educators, and that developers design AI tools based on evidence-based practices.

A new document from the North Dakota Department of Public Instruction lists AI tools for educators as well as advice for administrators, aiming to serve as a springboard for schools to set up their own policies and programs.

Nine groups including teachers and parents across Maine have joined forces to convince schools to ban cellphone use during the day, and parents to adopt new norms around how often their kids can access devices.

Proposed legislation approved in the Pennsylvania State Senate would give school districts money for lockable pouches to store student phones if those districts ban cell phone use during the school day.

Tens of millions of dollars from state and federal funding to build an ecosystem of quantum technology in Colorado will give students direct access to state-of-the-art labs and experts in the field.

As the California legislature works on a bill to restrict cellphone usage in classrooms, school administrators who have seen kids addicted to their phones at young ages are open to the idea and hope it provides guidance.

A new rule from the U.S. Department of Justice requires public schools to ensure that any web or app-based content that impacts student opportunities complies with globally recognized accessibility standards by 2027.

One year ago, the Oneida County Sheriff's Office in New York partnered with eight local school districts and Verra Mobility to install stop-arm cameras on 191 buses.