Utah H.B. 273 · Effective July 1, 2026
What Utah H.B. 273 asks of K-6 classrooms, and where paper practice fits.
A plain summary of the Classroom Technology Amendments, effective July 1, 2026. It is not legal advice. Read the enrolled bill and check with your district's counsel.
What the law says.
Kindergarten through grade 3
- No taking school-owned technology home.
- No required one-device-per-student ratio.
- No classroom screen-time, except introducing K-5 computer science standards and preparing for or taking a standards assessment.
- No homework that requires internet or technology.
- Hands-on, print-based learning is emphasized.
Grades 4 through 6
- No taking school-owned technology home, and no sending it home.
- No required one-device-per-student ratio.
- Technology is balanced with teacher-led, print-based, and analog methods.
- Technology is used only under direct teacher supervision for a defined academic purpose.
- No homework that requires internet or technology.
Middle and high school
- Middle school: a device goes home for school work only with written parent opt-in.
- High school: a device goes home unless a parent opts the student out.
- Both: technology is balanced with teacher-led, print-based, and analog methods, behind age-appropriate internet filters.
The grade-level rules do not apply to courses where technology is central to the subject, to online and statewide online programs, to the core computer science standards, to AI sandbox courses, or to technology required by an IEP or 504 plan.
What schools have to do
- The State Board posts a model balanced-technology policy by December 1, 2026.
- Each school adopts a balanced-technology policy and an AI use policy by July 1, 2027, after a public meeting that allows comment.
- Each school reports its adopted policy to the State Board, and receives certain state technology funds only once it certifies that it has adopted and is implementing those policies.
- Each school has a resource plan for students with a technology-related learning difficulty, which may include printed materials, alternative assignments, extra time, and alternative learning pathways.
- Instructional technology must have significant educational value, avoid distracting design, not replace instruction, and comply with student privacy law.
Source: Utah Code 53G-7-228, 53G-7-229, 53G-7-1401 to 53G-7-1403, and 53E-4-202, as amended by H.B. 273. Read the enrolled bill.
Where LOOP lands.
LOOP is paper. Students write on printed sheets at school and at home, with no login and no device. The teacher prints, copies, scans the stack, and reads one morning page before school.
Questions principals ask.
Does the teacher's page count as classroom screen time?
Under the bill, screen-time is time a student spends on a screen during class without teacher instruction. Students use paper. The teacher reads the morning page before school.
Does this replace teacher-led instruction?
No. LOOP prepares practice and shows the teacher what needs another explanation. The teacher still teaches.
Does the law apply to charter schools?
Yes. Charter schools are local education agencies under the section.
What about a student's IEP or 504 plan?
The law keeps exceptions for technology required by an IEP or 504 plan. It also requires a resource plan for any student with a technology-related learning difficulty.
When does a school have to act?
The State Board posts its model balanced-technology policy by December 1, 2026. Each school adopts its own policy by July 1, 2027, and reports it to the State Board.