Granite School District families in Holladay can hear Tuesday evening how the district plans to handle Utah's new classroom screen-time law.

The Granite School District Community Council meets at 6 p.m. Oct. 13, with a presentation on HB273, the BALANCE Act, as the centerpiece of its four-item agenda. Chris Larsen, the district's director of educational technology, will lead the discussion. Board member Julie Jackson will open the meeting, and Assistant Superintendent Dr. Tyler Howe will take questions.

What HB273 requires

Gov. Spencer Cox signed HB273 on March 18. The law, which took effect July 1, restricts how schools use technology in the classroom. The strictest limits apply to the youngest students.

For kindergarten through third grade, classroom screen time is largely prohibited except for basic computer science instruction and state assessments, according to the Lehi Free Press. Schools cannot require one device per student in those grades. K-3 students cannot take school-issued devices home. Homework cannot require internet access.

For grades four through six, technology must be balanced with teacher-led and print-based instruction. Devices cannot go home with students.

Middle schoolers may take school-issued devices home only with written parental consent. High school students can take devices home unless parents opt out.

The law also bars generative AI tools from independently grading student work or making high-stakes academic decisions.

Districts have the 2026-27 school year to adapt, with full implementation targeted for 2027-28, KSL reported.

How Canyons is preparing

Rep. Ariel Defay, R-Davis County, who sponsored HB273, said in an April 2026 KSL report that the push came from classroom frustrations. She recalled educators telling her: "Using a computer in the classrooms increases our behavior problems, and we can't get back on track."

Neighboring Canyons School District has also been preparing. A Canyons student survey presented to the Canyons board on March 3 found that 96.2% of students use cell phones, 46.3% check their phones every 15 minutes and 58.7% say screen time interferes with sleep. The opt-in survey drew 5,439 responses.

Canyons Assistant Superintendent Mindy Robison told the Canyons board on Aug. 18 that the district would craft its own balanced technology policy once the Utah State Board of Education (USBE) issues model guidelines. That state deadline is Dec. 1.

Canyons already updated its device policy in June, adopting a bell-to-bell personal-device ban for middle schools under a separate law, S.B. 69.

What's next

The USBE model policy, due Dec. 1, will shape how districts across Utah write their local rules. Canyons must have a final policy in place before July 1, 2027. Tuesday's community council meeting offers Holladay-area families a chance to ask questions and suggest future discussion topics directly to Granite district leaders.