Beverly Hills Unified School District officials Wednesday outlined how a newly approved policy governing classroom technology and artificial intelligence education will limit screen time for younger students while expanding AI instruction for older grades.
The district’s Board of Education voted unanimously Tuesday to adopt a policy establishing a grade-by-grade framework for technology use, digital learning and AI instruction.
The policy is designed to reduce unnecessary screen time while expanding technology and AI education as students advance through school.
“Technology must support learning, never replace the human work of learning,” according to the policy.
District officials said direct teacher instruction, handwriting, physical books, math computation by hand, classroom discussion and independent reasoning will remain central to classroom instruction.
“This historic policy provides a step-by-step framework with deliberate and appropriate limitations on technology use,” Board President Judy Manouchehri said in a statement.
“It protects our students’ natural creativity and curiosity during their younger years while providing greater access to technology and AI education as they mature, preparing them to lead in the future. By protecting foundational learning while advancing future readiness, BHUSD is setting a standard for school districts across the nation.”
Under the policy, students in transitional kindergarten through second grade will not be assigned one-to-one devices, with technology use generally limited to assessments, teacher-led activities and legally required accommodations.
Students in grades three through five will continue to emphasize handwriting, physical books and paper-based mathematics while participating in instruction covering coding, robotics, digital citizenship, media literacy, internet safety and artificial intelligence fundamentals.
Students in grades six through eight will receive annual instruction in artificial intelligence literacy, digital ethics, cybersecurity, coding, research and responsible digital citizenship.
At the high school level, technology will support advanced academic work, college readiness and career preparation while maintaining an emphasis on writing, discussion, critical thinking and original student work.
Superintendent Dr. Alex Cherniss said the policy aims to strike a balance between limiting screen time and preparing students for an increasingly technology-driven future.
“This policy removes unnecessary screen time so our classrooms can remain laser-focused on writing, experiential learning, critical thinking and the foundational power of pen and paper,” Cherniss said.
The policy also restricts gaming and non-curricular websites on district devices, provides families with weekly device-use summaries and prohibits teachers from using artificial intelligence to grade student work, assign scores or generate final evaluative comments.
District officials said the policy builds on screen-time guidelines approved by the board in March.