Highland Park ISD students will no longer be able to use personal laptops on campus during the school day starting in the 2026-2027 school year to comply wth a new state law.
Highland Park ISD had already restricted the use of cellphones, smartwatches, tablets, earbuds and gaming devices for students in preschool through 12th grade to comply with House Bill 1481 passed last year. The law requires school boards to put policies in place prohibiting students from using personal wireless communication devices during instructional time.
“Personal laptops, among other devices, fit this definition, which means their use is prohibited; however, district-issued electronic devices are excluded from the statutory prohibition,” an email sent to families read.
In place of personal laptops, the district will issue devices to Highland Park High School students starting in the 2026-2027 school year. Highland Park ISD says they’re in the process of selecting the devices.
While the specifics of the devices that the students will receive is unclear, the district says the devices issued to students in grades 5-12 will feature a new learning management system software that will serve as a portal for class materials and submitting assignments, another that allows teachers to only allow access to necessary websites, and a “lockdown browser” to provide.a secure environment for taking assessments.
There will be an annual fee as part of back-to-school sign up that will support instructional device use and includes device insurance coverage, according to the district.
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Additionally, the Highland Park ISD school board meeting last week, the board approved a budget amendment that allocates $2.2 million to allow for future technology purchases.
For more information about the upcoming change, visit the district’s website here.
