WESTFORD — Following the Massachusetts Senate’s approval of a bill last month that would ban the use of cell phones in schools across the state starting next year, WestfordCAT spoke to educators at the town’s public schools and asked them how this potential new law would be implemented.
Bill S.2561, which was drafted by the Senate Committee on Ways and Means, passed with a 38-2 vote on Aug. 31. The bill would require school districts to prohibit students from using their cell phones during the school day, aiming to improve students’ focus in the classroom and positively impact their mental health, while creating a healthy learning environment. If approved, the bill would require all public school districts in Massachusetts to adopt a cell phone-free school policy by fall 2026.
While the bill has received widespread support from lawmakers, including Gov. Maura Healey, Attorney General Andrea Campbell, Senate President Karen Spilka, Joint Committee on Education Chair Jason Lewis, Education Secretary Patrick Tutwiler as well as the Massachusetts Teachers Association, there has also been opposition from Sen. Kelly Dooner and Sen. Ryan Fattman, who were the two senators to vote against the bill, as well as concerns from parents who are worried about not being able to communicate with their children during the school day.
However, the bill also states that reasonable exceptions would be made for students who require cell phones for treating medical conditions, off-campus travel requirements, individualized education plans (IEP), or to accommodate a disability. The bill states that school districts must ensure that students and caregivers have at least one method of communication during school hours and that students and families can communicate during emergency situations.
Lawmakers who support the bill point to surveys conducted by the Pew Research Center, which show that 72% of high school teachers report that cell phone distractions are a major problem in the classroom. The surveys also report that 68% of U.S. adults are in support of banning personal electronic use in the classroom. Additionally, research from KKF shows a rising number of states implementing classroom cell phone bans to address youth mental health issues and eliminate academic distractions.
According to Westford Public Schools Superintendent Christopher Chew, one of the things he has found the most challenging about the use of cell phones in Westford schools has been the various opinions as to whether they should or should not be allowed in the first place.
“The fact that there will now be state-wide guidance/expectations is actually very helpful,” Chew said. “Consistency with expectations like this are far more successful in my experience than when everyone is doing something different. Westford Academy has already been exploring establishing more clearly defined cell phone free areas within the school. The current expectations are that they are not to be used during classes without specific teacher permission, but they could be used in the cafeteria or between classes. There were well over 2,700 personal devices connected to the Westford Academy Wi-Fi during last school year with only approximately 1,500 students, so it was clear that there were a lot more than just student Chromebooks logged on to the Wi-Fi. That has an impact on the infrastructure overall as you can imagine. Depending on what language is included in the final version of the bill, Westford Academy will also need to make adjustments to their practices.”
Chew said a cell phone-free policy already exists at both the Lloyd G. Blanchard Middle School and Stony Brook Middle School in Westford, as well as at all elementary schools in town. At the middle schools, Yondr Pouches have been used to lock up cell phones since 2024. Once the cell phone is inside the Yondr Pouch, students maintain possession of their cell phone, but will be unable to use it inside any of the cell phone-free areas of the building. If students would like to use their cell phones, they can step out of the cell phone-free area and tap the Yondr Pouch on an unlocking base to regain access of their cell phone.
“Last year, we started using Yondr Pouches at both of our middle schools here in town,” Chew said. “This technology allows for the educators to remove the devices from the conversation which is a game changer indeed. Without something like that, asking our educators to constantly battle the ongoing distractions the devices created was not feasible. They should not be expected to be cell phone police. We announced the change before school started in the fall and planned a well throughout transition that was communicated to all of the students and families as the implementation dates approached. The transition was incredibly smooth and it had a profound impact on the learning environments in both schools.”
Chew said he believes that the bill being approved would have a positive impact, not only on students’ learning, but on their socialization with one another.
“Over the past few years I have heard of a number of teachers asking students to collect data as to how often they were receiving notifications or alerts on their devices during class time,” Chew said. “The numbers during a single class were always incredibly high and sparked engaging conversations around the high level of distractions that it caused. In terms of students collaborating and communicating with each other, without the devices there is simply more immediate face to face socialization taking place. Yes, the devices also allow students to connect and collaborate in other ways, and they have helped to increase some students ability to effectively communicate and express themselves, but for the vast majority it is more likely to disconnect them from their immediate environment and decrease their ability to engage at school. Both middle schools immediately saw a decrease in student conflict that had previously been results of text and social media activity taking place during the school day.”
Westford School Committee Chair Kathryn Clear said she is also open to the idea of cell phone-free schools, as she said cell phones are often a major distraction to not only students, but teachers as well.
“I know there are parents who are concerned about wanting to be in contact with their students, especially during emergencies,” Clear said. “I would’ve felt the same originally, but research by Boston Children’s Hospital pediatrician Dr. Michael Rich showed that during an emergency in school, students who had their phones were actually slower to respond.”
Clear agreed with Chew that cell phone-free schools will have a positive impact on both students’ learning ability and their social skills, adding that using social media in schools can negatively impact students’ mental health.
“We have to support our staff in making sure our students are present, not just for learning, but for the social aspect as well,” Clear said. “Schools are a learning environment and high school is the last place we send them before they go off to college, where they have a lot more autonomy. So you want to support them in gaining the skills they need for young adulthood. So I don’t see this as being a purely academic subject. With cell phones that have cameras and everyone on social media, there are instances where people may not be giving permission to be recorded or have photographs potentially posted online. So I also think it protects other students privacy as well. I do think it also creates a safe space for students and gives an expectation that their photos are not going to end up on social media.”
Clear also said if the bill is signed into law, Westford Public Schools will comply.
“It’s not like it will be up for debate, or that the school committee will vote on it, if it becomes a law, we will follow it,” Clear said.
