What's New in FWPS: 2025-26 Edition

What's New in FWPS: 2025-26 Edition

This school year, we’re rolling out several district-wide updates to promote the best student learning experiences and stewardship of district resources. If you’ve missed any of our What’s New Wednesday social media updates on Facebook and Instagram, keep reading!

Below, we’re sharing what parents need to know about the changes we’re making moving forward, starting with the 2025-26 school year. 

Transportation Registration Required 

Families with children eligible for school bus transportation must now opt in during the annual verification process to receive a bus assignment. This new step helps ensure accurate routing and efficient use of district resources.

If your child will need bus transportation, select “Bus Transportation” for both to and from school.

As always, children who attend a school other than their neighborhood assignment through Choice Enrollment or are within one (1) walking mile of school are ineligible for bus transportation unless they meet Special Education requirements. 

New Personal Cell Phone and Electronic Device Policy 

With staff, scholar, and family input, we have updated our existing personal cell phone and electronic device policy to ensure classrooms remain a place of learning with reduced sources of distraction: 

• Elementary students: Phones and electronic devices must be set to silent/Do Not Disturb and stored away during the entire school day. 

• Middle and High School students: Phones and electronic devices must be set to silent/Do Not Disturb, and kept in backpacks or school bags during the school day, except for a student's assigned lunch period. 

Phones cannot be used for instructional purposes without pre-approval by school administration or documented accommodations as outlined in a scholar's 504 Plan, IEP, or Health Plan. 

Incoming and outgoing communication with and regarding students should be made through phones at the main office. 

For more details, visit www.fwps.org/cell-phone-policy. 

SchooLinks for HSBP Activity Tracking 

Say good-bye to MaiaLearning and hello to SchoolLinks!   

Districts across Washington are now partnering with SchooLinks, an online college and career readiness platform, to prepare students for what comes after graduation and support completion of the High School and Beyond Plan (HSBP) and other graduation requirements. In Federal Way Public Schools, SchooLinks will help students in grades 6-12 discover their interests, skills, and strengths, explore careers and colleges, and create an individualized career and academic plan to prepare them for post-secondary goals. 

Digital Hall Passes for Middle and High Schools 

This fall, middle and high schools will begin using a Digital Hall Pass system to manage student movement during class time. This new tool replaces paper passes and allows staff to monitor and limit the number of students out of class at any one time, helping reduce disruptions and increase accountability. 

With Digital Hall Pass, teachers and administrators can: 

• Track how long students are out of class and where they go 

• Identify patterns and adjust practices to support school safety 

• Limit the number of passes a student can use each week (exceptions will be made for students with documented medical or other specific needs) 

• Provide students with insight into their pass usage habits 

This system enhances safety, minimizes interruptions to learning, and gives students more ownership of their time during the school day. 

New Middle School Schedule for District-Wide Consistency 

We're proud to introduce a new daily schedule at all FWPS middle schools, featuring dedicated intervention and learning exploration for increased support and equitable course offerings.   

Starting this fall, all middle schools will follow the same schedule, and all students will participate in an assigned Intervention or Enhancement called Level Up Time, Tuesday through Thursday, while Advisory will be on Mondays and Fridays. This new Level Up time will increase math and reading targeted instruction and opportunities to engage in above-grade-level opportunities.

The new mandatory Level Up elective period, along with the expansion of how many electives students can take each year, from one or two to three or four, provides more opportunities than ever to explore diverse interests and develop new skills throughout middle school.  

We’re excited about the opportunities this new schedule will provide for each middle school scholar while reinforcing our commitment to supporting students through challenging and enriching learning experiences. 

Partnering for Success

As we launch the 2025–26 school year, these district updates reflect our ongoing commitment to providing safe, supportive, and engaging learning environments for every scholar. We encourage families to review these changes carefully and connect with their school for additional details and any school-specific changes that may impact your child. 

Thank you for partnering with us to help all students thrive. Together, we’re building strong foundations for success—this year and beyond. 

Have you completed enrollment and verification? Check this task off your checklist — get started now.

Looking for more school year information? Visit the Back-to-School Resource Hub for quick links to the most common topics and more information and articles to support a fantastic year.