"At a time when school cellphone bans or limits are the law in California public schools and in at least 34 other states - a growing national movement to get distracted students off their devices and focused on learning - Harvard-Westlake has found a way to enforce their restrictions by turning to - what else? - a mobile app that partially locks down phones and flags the front office when students attempt to break the rules."
"Students in grades 10 through 12 must install a custom-programmed app called "Opal" that blocks a list of social media and gaming apps that Harvard-Westlake educators have identified for now as scofflaws during school hours: TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat, X, Discord, Threads, Pokémon Go, Roblox, Clash Royale and Reddit. Students at the Studio City campus are allowed to keep their cellphones with them and can use them to contact parents or hail a ride only in an administrator's office."
Harvard-Westlake requires students in grades 10 through 12 to install a custom app called Opal that blocks specified social media and gaming apps during school hours. Students may keep phones but may use them to contact parents or get rides only in an administrator's office. If a student disables Opal to access a banned app, school officials receive a notification on an office dashboard. The app strategy addresses weaknesses in physical pouch locks and outright bans by providing remote monitoring. After one semester, leaders reported reduced phone use, increased in-person interaction, and some students reported better sleep.
Read at Los Angeles Times
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