Hold the phone: School boards weigh cell bans during class time

What began as guidelines became hard rules Tuesday as the Acton School Committee passed a policy to limit student phone use in the classroom. 

“We want a clear policy to support what’s already in the handbook. Students today have phones — we recognize both their benefits and their risks. This policy is about minimizing distractions so learning remains the focus,” Acton School Committee chair Carrie Rankin told The Acton Bridge prior to the vote. 

The goal is for the new K-8 policy to be implemented next school year. 

The Acton-Carlisle Regional District School Committee, however, has opted to hold off on new high school rules for now.  

Chair Julie Viola said the regional committee seeks a measured approach to the issue.   

“We know there has to be forums, policy subcommittee meetings, and consultation with faculty, experts, parents, and students alike,” Viola said in an email to The Acton Bridge. “We do not want to rush this.”

Mental health concerns 

Viola said the committees took action in response to feedback from teachers, parents, and students, as well as growing attention to the issue in the state legislature. 

CCHS parent Caroline Partridge, who reached out to the School Committee in support of a more restrictive phone policy, told The Bridge that cellphones cause many negative side effects. 

The devices “are really bad for our kids and can have negative impacts on learning, social engagement, and mental health,” she said. 

Another Acton parent, Adrienne Principe, helped start the group Turning Life On with School Committee member Alexa Anderson. The organization is dedicated to getting kids off their phones. 

“We are seeing more reports of anxiety and suicidal ideation in all age groups,” Principe said. 

Her assertion is backed up by the National Education Association, which reported that 90% of educators see mental health as a serious issue in schools, with social media use as a contributing factor.

Guidance in place

Acton schools already have cellphone guidelines in their handbooks. 

The high school’s current handbook policy says students will store their phones in caddies during class time but have access to them between classes and during lunch. Viola said the guideline has been a success, and the committee wants to expand on it. 

But CCHS sophomore Jolie Thorsen says the current rule is enough. 

“I think that a ‘bell to bell’ policy would be too extreme. Students should be able to use their phones during lunch, free blocks, studies, and other breaks,” she told The Bridge. 

The middle school and elementary schools’ policies say all phones must be turned off and in pockets or bags during the school day.

The state’s role 

In January, Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell co-sponsored the Study Act, which seeks to ban phones on school grounds during the school day. The bill is in committee. 

State Rep. Simon Cataldo said this issue cannot be delayed. He supports a statewide law that would establish uniformity. 

“Private schools in our area and around the state are simply banning cellphones bell to bell and reaping the rewards, because it is the obvious right thing to do for students, teachers, and the academic environment overall,” Cataldo said. 

Along with the bill, the attorney general’s office released a sample policy that school committees could adopt, which Acton is using as a starting point. 

Several Massachusetts school districts, including Ipswich, Methuen, and Brockton, have cellphone bans in place.

Acton-Carlisle neighbors Acton-Boxborough and Lincoln-Sudbury do not have a current formal cellphone policy — only guidelines in their handbooks. 

Bedford High School, another nearby school, tested a ban this year. After spring break, students had to turn in their phones during class. Bedford school administrators did not immediately respond to Bridge requests for comment on the success of their pilot ban. 

Brockton High School started a cellphone ban this year that is similar to the one proposed for Acton. 

Principal Kevin McCaskill said the friction felt at the beginning of their policy eased once Brockton students understood the policy wasn’t meant to be punitive. “It was really about putting an emphasis on education and having students understand we are not trying to take their technology away from them. It’s about managing technology,” he said. 

In Lexington, the School Committee will implement a ban next year. Wendi Hoffer, a Lexington parent who works with Turning Life On, endorsed the policy but wishes Lexington had specified what disciplinary action would be taken if a student breaks the rule. 

“It gives administrators no real enforcement strategies,” she said. 

Sarafina Zhang contributed reporting.