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Evanston schools move to standardize iPad use, restrict open YouTube after months of public comment
Summary
District 65 staff outlined a year‑one technology plan and recommended standard procedures to limit non‑instructional iPad use; board members asked for family outreach, more data on app usage and a formal proposal in August.
Evanston CCSD 65 administrators told the Curriculum and Policy Committee on June 2 that the district will move from ad hoc classroom device rules toward a consistent policy that limits non‑instructional use of school‑issued iPads, expands professional learning for teachers and removes open YouTube access for students.
The guidance follows months of public comment urging stricter controls on student devices and a four‑month YouTube pilot at Schute Middle School, which staff said informed a district‑wide block of open YouTube access starting this summer.
Director of Technology Elena Koceras outlined the district's vision and work from year one of a five‑year technology plan, including: scoping apps in the district app store against curriculum needs; refreshing older staff iPads at middle schools with on‑site distribution paired with professional learning; expanding computer literacy; and updates to indoor‑recess guidance to create technology‑free free‑choice time. "Our philosophy is rooted in the belief that technology is far more than just a tool — it supports students and staff to create, collaborate and engage in safe digital environments," Koceras said. She told the committee that the pilot helped staff identify where YouTube was instructional and where it was not, and that the district is creating playlists and Google Classroom workflows for teachers who rely on specific videos.
Parents and community members who spoke during public comment urged the district to do more: Miriam Kendall of ScreenSense Evanston asked the board for "screen free time" and asked that the district enforce existing policy restricting devices to instructional purposes; Diana Leung described examples of harmful content that had been seen and urged a lab‑based, limited access model; and Kristen Granchalek, a psychotherapist and parent, urged revision of the technology policy to reflect neuroscience concerns about excessive early device use. "When kids rely too heavily on touchscreen tech, their brains adapt to that constant stimulation," Granchalek said during public comment.
Board members pressed staff on several operational details. They asked whether the district can centrally default students' devices to restricted home settings, how families will be supported to use Apple Screen Time or Securely Home controls, and whether the district can report device screen time and app‑level use. Koceras said families can use Securely Home reports and Apple screen‑time settings and that the district's Mobile Device Management (Jamf) can scope and push apps by grade, but it currently does not provide a district‑wide, per‑student screen‑time report without manual inspection of a device. "There is not a tool there that collects on screen time from all devices from all students," she said.
Staff said the next steps are: academic and technology teams will scope apps by curricular tier (tier 1/core materials, tier 2/intervention, tier 3/acceleration); update indoor‑recess guidance to be technology‑free; pilot standard approaches where needed; develop a middle‑school cell phone policy; and bring implementation recommendations and procedures to the board by August. Board members asked staff to return with family‑facing materials and an outreach plan so caregivers can apply home controls and know how school‑level expectations will be enforced.
The committee did not vote on a new board policy at the meeting; staff said procedural recommendations and any needed contract or policy language will come back to the board this summer for review and formal action.
The district cited Board Policy 6.235 (artificial intelligence guidance adopted January 2025) and the district's computer literacy mandate as drivers for changes to instructional technology use. The timeline staff proposed calls for classroom and family procedures in August and a fall rollout of clarified schoolwide expectations.
