More than 520,000 LAUSD students return August 12 under new screen-time rules, a continuing phone ban and a new superintendent’s first school year leading the district.
For more than half a million students across Los Angeles Unified, summer vacation ends Wednesday. Classrooms will reopen, backpacks will be filled again, and families will settle into the routines of another school year.
But for students returning to LAUSD campuses on August 12, some things will look different—starting with what happens when they enter the classroom.
There will be less screen time.
After years of increasingly incorporating laptops, tablets and other digital tools into everyday instruction, LAUSD is moving in the opposite direction. Under a new districtwide screen-time policy, the youngest students will begin the school year with little or no routine use of digital devices in class.
Students in early education, transitional kindergarten, kindergarten and first grade will generally not use digital devices for instruction, with limited exceptions. For older students, the district is establishing limits on school-issued device use that will be phased in by grade level.
The policy is part of a broader effort to create what the district calls a healthier balance between digital and non-digital learning. LAUSD’s guidelines encourage teachers to emphasize reading, writing, problem-solving, hands-on activities and other learning experiences that do not require a screen.
The district is also moving to restrict students’ access to recreational digital content during the school day. YouTube, social media and streaming platforms will be blocked unless a teacher authorizes access for instructional purposes.
For parents accustomed to seeing their children bring home laptops or tablets, the change may also affect homework. LAUSD’s new guidelines encourage assignments that can be completed without a device whenever possible.
Phones stay out of the school day
The screen-time changes come on top of another major technology shift that LAUSD has already begun: the district’s phone-free school day.
The Board approved the policy in 2024, making LAUSD one of the nation’s largest school districts to prohibit students from using smartphones during the school day. The restrictions also cover devices such as smartwatches and other connected devices.
Schools use different systems to store the devices. Some campuses require students to place phones in locked pouches or storage units when they arrive, keeping them inaccessible until the school day ends.
The goal is straightforward: fewer distractions, more attention in class and more face-to-face interaction among students.
Taken together, the two policies represent a significant change in LAUSD’s relationship with technology. Students are being asked to spend less time looking at screens while at the same time learning in a district that still relies heavily on technology for instruction, communication and schoolwork.
A new school year, a new superintendent
Students are also returning under new district leadership.
Andrés E. Chait was appointed superintendent in June and is beginning his first school year leading LAUSD. The district’s opening-of-schools message has emphasized academic progress, student well-being and putting the schoolhouse at the center of district decisions.
LAUSD says the new school year comes after continued academic progress, but also acknowledges challenges that include declining enrollment, changing student needs, immigration-enforcement concerns and budget pressures.
Attendance will be another priority
The district is putting renewed emphasis on something much less technological: showing up.
LAUSD has launched its iAttend campaign around the message that every school day matters. The district is encouraging families to establish strong attendance habits from the first day of school, saying regular attendance helps students remain engaged and build positive academic routines.
That message begins Wednesday.
For families, the first day may also require some practical preparation. Individual schools can have different bell schedules and first-day dismissal times, so parents should check directly with their child’s school rather than assuming the districtwide schedule applies to everyone. LAUSD’s official site lists August 12 as the first day of the 2026–27 school year.
A district trying to balance progress and pressure
Behind the first-day excitement is a more complicated reality.
LAUSD enters the new school year under financial pressure while trying to maintain programs and services for a student population of more than 520,000. The district has been working on fiscal stabilization while dealing with declining enrollment and changing budget conditions.
At the same time, the district is continuing programs aimed at addressing educational inequities, including the Black Student Achievement Plan, which remains part of LAUSD’s 2026–27 priorities.
So Wednesday’s return to school is about more than the familiar first-day rituals—new teachers, new backpacks, reunions with friends and the nervous excitement of a new grade.
It marks the beginning of a school year in which LAUSD is asking students to put down their phones, spend less time on screens and spend more time learning, reading, writing and interacting with one another.
