Reston students returned to classrooms Monday, Aug. 24, under a package of new technology restrictions that touch phones, laptops and school buses.

A Virginia law that took effect July 1, Senate Bill 108, now requires every public school student to keep cellphones off and stowed in backpacks from the morning bell to dismissal. High schoolers at South Lakes and other Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) campuses had previously been allowed to use phones during lunch. That exception is gone.

The cellphone rule covers smartwatches, earbuds, headsets and smart glasses. Middle schoolers face the same "away for the day" standard, The Reston Letter reported.

Separately, the Fairfax County School Board voted unanimously on July 16 to ban personal laptops, tablets and smartphones during instructional time. Students who once brought their own devices under FCPS's bring-your-own-device program must now use school-issued computers exclusively. Exceptions remain for students with Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) or 504 plans, and principals can grant limited exemptions for specialized courses.

Hunter Mill District School Board representative Melanie Meren, whose district includes Reston, introduced a companion motion at the same July 16 meeting to remove FCPS-issued tablets and laptops from pre-kindergarten and kindergarten classrooms. The board approved it unanimously. Those young students had been issued devices since the COVID-19 shutdown. Exceptions still apply for IEPs, 504 plans, translation and multilingual education support.

"Test scores are down. Writing is lacking for incoming college students. Mental health suffers," Meren said at the July 16 board meeting, arguing that children lose cognitive skills when "glued to screens that are unregulated and meant to be addictive, rather than using basic developmental tools like pen and paper."

Superintendent Dr. Michelle Reid cautioned the board that pulling devices from the youngest students could require additional instructional resources and support for educators, Patch reported.

Families also gained a new opt-out: parents of students in grades 1 through 6 can now choose not to have FCPS-issued laptops sent home, according to an FCPS newsletter published the week of Aug. 26. Students whose families opt out still use a school device during the day.

Beyond screens, FCPS rolled out a tap-on, tap-off bus identification system. Every FCPS student received a color-coded ID card embedded with radio-frequency identification (RFID) technology. Students who ride buses tap the card when boarding and exiting, and drivers see each student's name, assigned stop and boarding time on upgraded tablets. FCPS plans to expand the cards to school meals and field trips, FFXnow reported.

The cards record only the time and stop of each tap. They do not track students in real time. Later this fall, a new mobile app will replace the existing Here Comes the Bus app, giving parents real-time bus location updates.

Two other app changes took effect this school year. ParentVUE, the grade-tracking and forms portal, received a security upgrade. MealViewer, a new app, now provides menus, allergy information and meal notifications.

The board directed Reid to deliver a plan by Nov. 12 for storing FCPS-issued devices in classrooms when students are not using them. A comprehensive inventory of generative artificial intelligence tools on school devices is due by Jan. 14, 2027.