Beaverton School District students returning for the school year will find their personal laptops and tablets treated the same as cell phones: off and put away for the entire school day.

The district announced June 11 that it is tightening digital device rules across all high schools, option schools (magnet and alternative programs), and middle schools. The changes go beyond Oregon's statewide phone ban by extending the "off and away" rule to personal laptops and tablets and adding YouTube and social media filtering on district networks.

Here's what changes by school level:

High schools and option schools

  • Personal devices, including laptops and tablets, must be off and stored during school hours.
  • YouTube and social media will be filtered on district Wi-Fi during the school day. Teachers can unlock access for specific lessons.
  • Parents will be able to restrict YouTube, social media, and other content on district-issued devices outside school hours through the Lightspeed Parent Portal.

Middle schools

  • The same personal-device ban applies.
  • YouTube and social media filtering stays on at all times, not just during school hours.
  • Cedar Park Middle School and Conestoga Middle School will expand a pilot program schoolwide, replacing individual take-home Chromebooks with shared laptop carts available during class. The district has not said how many students or classrooms participated in the prior pilot.

The district said the policy responds to feedback from parents and teachers, though it did not cite specific survey results or public comment. The policy was announced administratively; no board vote was recorded.

BSD's move builds on Gov. Tina Kotek's July 2025 executive order requiring all Oregon districts to ban personal electronic devices by January 2026. That order covered phones and smartwatches but explicitly excluded laptops. A February 2026 survey of nearly 600 Oregon educators by the Oregon Education Association found 88% saw clear benefits from the phone ban.

Beaverton is Oregon's second-largest district, serving roughly 36,300 students across 53 schools.

The new rules take effect at the start of the school year.

The general first day is Tuesday, August 25, though start dates may vary by grade level. Families can find more information on the district's Personal Electronic Device Policy page at beaverton.k12.or.us. Online registration for the 2026-27 school year is open.