Granite School District staff described policy changes and proposals intended to reduce noninstructional device use, sharpen Chromebook oversight and protect student privacy.

Phone policy: The superintendent and board members said the district implemented a phone ban (designed to limit classroom phone use), noting board and teacher support. Morrisley said teachers pressed the board for a change: “our teachers came to the board and said, we can't take it anymore, and the board responded.” The district said it will continue to monitor effects and adjust policies if necessary.

Chromebook and instructional use: District principals and the superintendent said teachers have scaled back routine Chromebook use since the pandemic and now aim to treat technology as a targeted instructional tool rather than an all-day replacement. Morrisley said the board is considering a policy to provide philosophical guidance on how Chromebooks should be used and that at junior-high and elementary levels the district is moving away from a universal one-to-one take-home model in favor of teacher-managed in-class devices when possible.

Privacy and content restrictions: The district said it recently restricted direct access to YouTube and other sites from school-managed Chromebooks after concerns about student data privacy when content is hosted by third-party platforms. The superintendent said Google raised data-privacy concerns that led the district to narrow access so teachers can still embed content within learning platforms but students cannot browse YouTube directly.

Testing and digital transitions: Officials noted that some standardized tests and college-admissions tests now require digital administration, and principals described efforts to prepare students for digital test formats while keeping day-to-day device use appropriate to age and pedagogy.

Ending: District leaders said device rules will continue to evolve and the board will provide policy guidance; they urged families to watch for communications about how policies will affect classroom and take-home device access.