Urban Schools Take on Student Screen Time as New School Year Begins
As the 2026–27 school year gets underway, urban school districts across the nation are taking new steps to limit student screen time and cell phone use. Read about these policies, along with other initiatives and programs urban school systems are rolling out in this city-by-city roundup.
Albuquerque
New Mexico’s Albuquerque Public Schools has launched a program at its high schools called Link Crew, which pairs freshmen with upperclassmen who have volunteered as peer mentors. Mentors will work with small groups of 10 to 12 freshmen throughout the school year, with the intention of creating safe circles where students can discuss fears and share interests. The district also has opened six Freshman Academies to connect high schoolers with career pathways in engineering, health care, and other fields.
Anchorage
Alaska’s Anchorage School District is launching an Academic Strategic Action Plan to help strengthen leadership, support teachers, simplify systems, and focus on what undertakings make the greatest difference for students. The district is also implementing a new Community Engagement Plan called ASD Listens: Reflect & Refocus, with the goal of strengthening trust through better listening, clearer communication, and stronger partnerships.
Aurora
Colorado’s Aurora Public Schools opened Escuela Bilingüe Betty Benavidez, the district’s first Spanish/English dual language magnet school. Named after the first Hispanic woman elected to the Colorado State Legislature, the school will serve prekindergarten through first grade students, eventually expanding to grade 5.
Baltimore
Baltimore City Public Schools celebrated the reopening of the newly renovated campus for Frederick Douglass High School and Joseph C. Briscoe Academy. The $118 million, 249,000-square-foot transformation included a new gym and pool, modernized science and career and technical education classrooms, and a renovated auditorium. Founded in 1883 for African American students, Frederick Douglass High School is one of the nation's oldest high schools.
Boston
Boston Public Schools has named the first cohort of BPS AI Educator Ambassadors, an initiative in which 25 secondary school educators have received training in innovative and responsible artificial intelligence practices and will lead AI learning projects in their schools. According to district officials, the inaugural cohort is among the first district-wide AI educator ambassador programs in the nation and a core component of the BPS AI Literacy Initiative, a public-private partnership launched in March 2026 to support the district’s efforts to boost AI literacy among students.
Broward
Florida’s Broward County Public Schools is partnering with Space Florida to offer the Space Florida Academy at nine high schools, thus expanding aerospace aviation and engineering pathways and workforce development opportunities. Students will benefit from industry-aligned coursework, certifications, hands-on learning, employer partnerships, and access to a job portal featuring companies that offer hiring preferences to Space Florida Academy graduates.
Chicago
Chicago Public Schools is implementing The Whole School Safety Implementation Guide as a model for expanded safety practices across all district schools. Schools will undertake a five-step process, including evaluating holistic needs to develop a culture of safety by identifying root causes. In 2024, the district adopted the Whole School Safety Policy to reimagine school safety by transitioning away from school resource officers and refocusing on a culture of safety that ensures students have access to trauma-informed care, restorative justice, emotional support, and trusted relationships. The district is establishing a five-year implementation plan to bring the framework to every school by 2029.
Clark County
Nevada’s Clark County School District in Las Vegas has begun implementing its five-year Destination District strategic plan, focusing on three priorities:
Dallas
Dallas Independent School District launched its Pre-Primer initiative, creating a specialized bridge year for young learners who may benefit from additional support before entering first grade. The pilot program will serve targeted groups of students with instruction that blends kindergarten and first-grade standards, helping strengthen early literacy, phonics, and math skills while building confidence in the classroom.The district is also implementing Classroom Screen Time Guidelines, establishing grade-level recommendations for daily screen use, as well as partnering with the Dallas Area Rapid Transit to launch the High School Student Bus Maintenance Externship Program, a first-of-its-kind initiative connecting students in the district’s Automotive Technician Program of Study with bus maintenance professionals.
Denver
Denver Public Schools has a new personal communication device (PCD) policy for the 2026-27 school year that will apply to students in every grade. Students are required to turn off and store their PCDs during class time, passing periods, lunch periods, and restroom breaks while on campus during the school day and during school field trips.
Detroit
Detroit Public Schools Community District is rolling out what it calls a “redesign” at 11 neighborhood high schools that will provide students with access to daily career advising, college credits, industry certifications, internships, and five diploma pathways aimed at preparing them for life after graduation. Students pursuing the Honors diploma will take Advanced Placement courses intended to strengthen applications to four-year universities. The Dual Degree pathway will allow students to earn both a college-level associate degree and a high school diploma simultaneously. Career Ready students will graduate with credentials needed to enter the workforce immediately after high school. Arts students will build competitive portfolios for continued artistic study, while the Michigan Merit diploma will signify completion of all state graduation requirements.
Fayette County
Kentucky’s Fayette County Public Schools in Lexington has launched a One School, One Book initiative at all 13 middle schools as part of the districtwide promotion of adolescent literacy. The program requires every student, teacher, administrator, front office staff member, custodian, cafeteria worker, and bus driver to read a common novel selected by each school, centered on themes of belonging, community, or safety.
Hawaii
The Hawaii State Department of Education is implementing a new cell phone policy that prohibits use during school hours for elementary and middle school students, while cell phone usage is prohibited during instructional time for high school students. And, in an effort to bring hands-on manufacturing education directly into the classroom, the nation’s first high school MEERA lab opened at Mililani High School. MEERA is a competency-based K-12 manufacturing education program designed to inspire and train the next generation of the manufacturing workforce.
Houston
Houston Independent School District opened the 2026–2027 school year with just five teacher vacancies districtwide, according to district officials. The school system is implementing its new pay-for-performance compensation system for teachers, directly tying teacher pay to effectiveness. In addition, nine schools are launching Future 2 this fall, a model that combines strong academics with real-world experiences to help prepare students for their lives after high school. Future 2 schools also offer an extended day along with breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
Jackson
Mississippi’s Jackson Public Schools is implementing a seven-year GEAR UP initiative at five middle schools and one high school supported by a $10.67 million federal grant designed to help students explore careers, prepare for college, and build a plan for life after high school. GEAR UP will follow participating scholars from middle school through high school graduation and into their first year of postsecondary education, providing opportunities for academic preparation, career exploration, college exposure, mentoring, and family support.
Jersey City
As a result of a new state law, Jersey City Public Schools will require students in Grades 3 and 5 to spend 15 minutes each day building cursive skills. Each week will feature 3 days of new letter instruction and 2 days of targeted practice.
Kansas City
Kansas City Public Schools is partnering with Bank of America, U.S. Soccer, and the KC Current women’s soccer team to launch an elementary school soccer program. The Soccer at Schools program is designed to give educators the tools to teach the game and will help cover equipment costs. The initiative grew out of the enthusiasm generated by FIFA World Cup events in Kansas City this past summer.
Los Angeles
The nation’s second-largest school district has a new student screen time policy that bans or limits screen time based on grade level. The rules ban screens until second grade, then enforce age-based daily or weekly limits up through high school. The guidelines went into effect this past summer for students in first grade, while second to fifth graders will have their caps implemented in November, and guidelines for sixth through 12th graders will be introduced in January. The policy, which also blocks social media such as YouTube as well as streaming platforms, will be updated each year.
Madison
Wisconsin’s Madison Metropolitan School District has a new five-year strategic plan, MMSD: Excellence Together, which provides a roadmap for the district through 2031 focusing on five areas. They are future-ready student experiences, organizational alignment and improvement, professional excellence and talent development, culture of connectedness and well-being, and family, community, and industry partnerships.
Miami
Miami-Dade County Public Schools is implementing several new magnet programs this fall, including SpaceHUB at Booker T. Washington Senior High School, a magnet program featuring aerospace, robotics, engineering, and manufacturing pathways.
Milwaukee
Milwaukee Public Schools is providing high schools with high-quality instructional materials, based on the science of reading, after offering literacy training to teachers in the summer. And, the district has launched its Expect Great Things campaign in an effort to create a district-wide culture of high expectations, accountability, and excellence.
Newark
New Jersey’s Newark Public Schools opened New Media High School, focused on preparing students for careers in film, television, and digital media. The district also launched a transition plan to better prepare second-grade students for the academic demands of third grade. In addition, new career pathways have been developed with the City of Newark to prepare students for careers in law enforcement and firefighting, and a new districtwide policy has been implemented for Internet-enabled devices.
New York City
The nation’s largest school district has opened five new schools, including two schools for students with disabilities and also the Bronx School of Hip-Hop, which uses hip-hop culture as a foundation for rigorous instruction for high school students. In addition, the district is implementing an artificial intelligence (AI) and screen time policy for the 2026–27 school year. Under the guidelines, software that uses student-facing generative AI is not permitted in grades K-8, while limited use is allowed in high schools. The school system also has implemented screen time restrictions depending on grade.
Oklahoma City
Oklahoma City Public Schools has opened a College and Career Center at John Marshall Enterprise High School designed to support a variety of educational programs and workforce development initiatives. The center features adaptable classrooms, collaborative areas, and specialized facilities geared toward preparing students for success in college and career pathways, especially in the aviation and healthcare industries.
Omaha
Nebraska’s Omaha Public Schools is implementing its 2026–30 Strategic Plan to ensure all students will read on grade level by 2030. The district will focus on a small set of actions designed to improve learning for all students and prioritizing high-quality literacy instruction across all grades.
Philadelphia
The School District of Philadelphia has opened a School Transition Office as it rolls out its $3 billion Accelerating Opportunity Facilities Master Plan. The office will support school communities as the district closes 17 schools in the 2027-28 school year. School Transition Committees will bring together students, families, educators, staff, and community partners to provide input, help identify priorities, and support the development of transition plans that reflect each school's needs. The district is also launching a Parent Ambassador Program to empower families and support engagement and is expanding its Parent & Family University by offering additional workshops, resources, and learning opportunities that help families support their students’ achievement, well-being, and postsecondary success.
Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh Public Schools implemented Rising Voices libraries in every K-3 classroom featuring culturally relevant texts that honor the richness of Black stories. In addition, the district is launching Pathfinder, an internally developed student engagement and intervention platform that will help counselors, social workers, and school leaders coordinate and monitor student supports.
Providence
Rhode Island’s Providence Public School District welcomed students back for the 2026-27 school year, the first since the district’s transition back to local control on July 1, 2026. In another distinction, the district has added a pre-medical program at Classical High School. With this new program, the district now has a Career and Technical Education (CTE) offering at each of its comprehensive high schools.
Rochester
New York’s Rochester City School District opened a Parent Center to provide parents and caregivers direct access to district support, essential resources, and community partners in one location. Designed as a central hub for families, the center includes a clothing closet, digital resource lab, food pantry, and a dedicated space for community partners.
St. Paul
Benjamin E. Mays Afrocentric Magnet School for grades preK to 5 has opened in St. Paul’s historically African American Rondo neighborhood. Members of the Black community have pursued this concept for a school for more than 50 years, according to published reports. In another initiative in the St. Paul Public Schools district, seniors learning to operate heavy equipment now have their own “sandbox” classroom so to speak, a plot of land where they learn to run graders, loaders, and other machinery. The program is a partnership with the local operating engineers union, Minnesota Virtual Academy, and the St. Paul Port Authority.
Seattle
Through a new partnership with the City of Seattle, students at Seattle Public Schools now have access to free school meals, regardless of family income or school attended. Students at Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) schools already received meals at no cost, but free meals are now available to students at 51 schools that are not part of the CEP program. Students may receive one complete breakfast and one complete lunch at no cost each school day.
Tulsa
Oklahoma’s Tulsa Public Schools is launching the No Fight Zone initiative to be implemented in all district schools aimed at preventing conflicts from turning into physical violence. Students who face stress, frustration, or a potential conflict can request a conflict-resolution card or speak with a school counselor. Supports for students will be provided such as calm down rooms, extra supervision, and restorative practices. Students involved in a fight will receive intervention through de-escalation, such as behavioral coaching, reflection opportunities, and conflict resolution support, in addition to disciplinary consequences.