Mass. Senate eyes bill to ban students from having cell phones during school day

Boston Globe

08-07-2025

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The prohibition would include devices like cell phones, tablets, smartwatches, and Bluetooth headphones, according to the draft bill.
The Massachusetts legislation would require schools to prohibit physical access to devices like phones and smartwatches, and have those policies in place before the start of the 2026-27 school year. It also directs the state's K-12 education department to provide guidance to the schools and districts guidance on the creation of such policies.
The proposal includes several exemptions for students who need access to personal electronic devices, including as part of a student's special education plan, accommodations to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act, English language learners, during emergencies, and issues related to 'school and student health and safety,' according to language of the bill.
It also requires schools to have a method for parents and guardians to contact students during the school day, or for a student to reach their parent or guardian.
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The measure approved by the legislature's Joint Committee on Education has the support of Senate President Karen Spilka. In a joint statement with Senator Jason M. Lewis, the senate chair of the committee, Spilka and Lewis hailed the vote.
'The cell phone is one of the most distracting devices ever created. Overwhelming evidence shows us that cell phones are major barriers to student growth and achievement in the classroom, and they make it harder for our talented educators to teach,' they said in the joint statement.
The bill now moves to the Senate's Ways and Means Committee, though lawmakers did not say when the legislation may come up for a full Senate vote.
House Speaker Ron Mariano, himself a former teacher, did not respond to a question Tuesday on whether he'd support a school cell phone ban.
Nearly three quarters of US high school teachers said cell phones distract students and cause a major problem for classrooms,
The Massachusetts Teachers Association, state Education Secretary Patrick Tutwiler, and state Attorney General Andrea Campbell have all supported banning students from having cell phones in classrooms.
Part of the concern over in-classroom use of cell phones is the access social media platforms. Health officials like former US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy have warned heavy social media use by young people is associated with 'significant mental health harms.'
As of May, a majority of states have imposed measures that ban or restrict students from using cellphones in schools, or recommend schools create their own policies,
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Ten states — Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Louisiana, Nebraska, North Dakota, New York, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and Virginia — have imposed a full ban on cell phones during the school day, while seven more prohibit phones during class time.
And last month,
In Massachusetts, school districts in places like Newton, Brockton, Fall River, Methuen, and Ipswich have rules in place restricting students from cell phones.
In a previous interview, Jonathan Mitchell, the principal of Ipswich High School, said a cell phone ban launched last fall changed the school for the better.
At Ipswich, students who bring their phones to the high school have to turn their phones over to teachers at the start of the day and retrieve them when classes end.
Students talk to each other more often, the cafeteria is louder, and fewer teens have their faces looking at cell phone screens, he said.
'It's hard to quantify with data, but it appears to have had a positive impact on school culture,' Mitchell said.
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