Academics · Subject Resources

Phones, laptops, AI:
compare the rules.

Schools now differ as much on technology as on anything else: whether phones are locked away, whether a laptop comes home, what the rule is on AI and what software watches school devices. Record each school’s answers in the same shape, rate how each fits your family and mark your must-haves. The comparison ranks the schools and lists what you still need to ask.

Add a schoolWhat you get

Schools

The worked example is made up: a public middle school with phone pouches and take-home laptops, a private academy with no written AI rule, and a high school where each teacher sets the phone rule. Saved on this device only.

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What you get

Academics · Subject ResourcesFree

What you finish with
A record per school: its type and where the policy came from, the phone rule, the device program and fee, the AI rule, screen hours, what the school said about filtering, monitoring and student apps, a 1 to 5 fit for five areas with your must-haves, and five questions asked. Ranks the schools by fit with must-haves counted twice; flags low-rated must-haves, missing written rules, monitoring, filtering and fees.
Who it is for
Families choosing a school, from elementary through high school, and students who want a say in the choice.
Format
Browser comparison with a saved record per school. Prints one school, every school in a table or a blank form; downloads a spreadsheet (.csv); exports and imports a file.
Access
Free. No account, no sign-in and nothing to install. Everything you type stays in this browser; nothing is sent to Caveat.
Where it lives
The Subject Resources space in Caveat Academics.
Support
Questions about access, an order or a correction: team@caveatacademic.com.

How to use it

  1. Add each school you are considering.
  2. Fill in the rules from the handbook or a tour.
  3. Rate the fit and mark must-haves.
  4. Ask the questions still open.
  5. Compare the scores side by side.

Add a school

What to ask about technology at a new school

Questions that get past the handbookAreaAskPhonesWhere are phones during class, and how do we reach our child?DevicesWho pays when a school laptop breaks or goes missing?AI toolsWho decides when AI is allowed, and how is a student told?MonitoringWhat does the software watch, when, and who sees alerts?Student dataWhere is the list of apps that hold student information?Questions that get past the handbookPhonesAsk: Where are phones during class, andhow do we reach our child?DevicesAsk: Who pays when a school laptopbreaks or goes missing?AI toolsAsk: Who decides when AI is allowed, andhow is a student told?MonitoringAsk: What does the software watch, when,and who sees alerts?Student dataAsk: Where is the list of apps that holdstudent information?
Ask the same questions at every school so the answers line up.

Phone rules are changing quickly

Since 2023 a growing number of states and districts have adopted rules that keep phones away for the school day, often with pouches or lockers, and others leave it to each school or teacher. A rule you hear on a spring tour may be different by the first day, so check the current handbook before you decide, and ask how families reach a student during the day.

Student data and monitoring

Schools use many apps that hold student information. Under federal law (FERPA) schools control most education records and must protect them, and the Federal Trade Commission allows schools to consent to some educational apps for children under 13 on parents’ behalf. Many districts publish the list of apps they use. Monitoring and filtering tools vary widely; ask what they watch, whether they run at home and who reads the alerts.

Sources

  1. U.S. Department of Education, Student Privacy Policy Office: FERPA guidance for parents (studentprivacy.ed.gov).
  2. Federal Trade Commission, Complying with COPPA: Frequently Asked Questions, section on schools (ftc.gov).
  3. U.S. Department of Education, Office of Educational Technology: Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Teaching and Learning (2023).
  4. National Center for Education Statistics, School Survey on Crime and Safety: school rules on cell phone use (nces.ed.gov).

The worked example is made up. Policies change; check each school’s current handbook. Nothing you type is sent to Caveat. Support: team@caveatacademic.com.