The Beverly Hills Unified School District Board of Education at its June 23 meeting held a first reading of a proposed policy that would limit technology use and student devices throughout the district.
According to the proposal, its purpose is to “support instructional goals, promote responsible technology use, and establish clear expectations.”
The proposal, which was drafted by Board President Judy Manouchehri and Vice President Sigalie Sabag, offers separate sets of guidelines for transitional kindergarten (TK) through second grade classrooms, third through fifth grade classrooms, sixth through eighth grade classrooms and ninth through twelfth grade classrooms.
Under the new proposal, personal devices would not be given to TK through fifth graders. They would only be used in TK classrooms to comply with applicable legal requirements.
In kindergarten through fifth grade classrooms, devices would only be permitted for students to take state-mandated and i-Ready assessments and practice for those assessments, for teachers to offer limited instructional displays, and to accommodate any applicable legal requirements as well as Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) and Section 504 plans.
Students in third through fifth grade would receive instruction in digital literacy such as typing, internet safety and online research skills.
Beginning in sixth grade, students would receive personal devices with the stated goal being to “strategically support technology and instruction in the classroom, while maintaining direct teaching, reading, writing, discussion, critical and analytical thinking,” according to the policy.
Students would be instructed in technology and AI topics including digital citizenship and ethics, coding and programming, cybersecurity and media literacy.
In ninth through twelfth grade, students would use technology in support of advanced academic work, college readiness and career preparation. The proposal encourages high school teachers to design homework assignments that minimize the use of AI and make clear whether students created the work on their own.
It additionally restricts students’ use of devices for gaming and accessing non-curriculum-based websites, including YouTube, and requires BHUSD to provide families with a weekly summary of their student’s district-provided device use.
Superintendent Dr. Alex Cherniss said the curriculum that the policy requires the district to develop is unlikely to be ready for the beginning of the 2025-26 school year.
Board Member Amanda Stern, who is an educational psychologist, expressed her support for the proposal and additionally noted the necessity of fifth graders being prepared to take the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress, which is administered digitally.
In other business, the board approved a six-month agreement that authorizes the Beverly Hills Athletic Alumni Association to market and secure sponsorships for pre-approved naming opportunities on and in certain Beverly Hills High School and Beverly Vista Middle School athletic facilities.
