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Boston Globe

Massachusetts Senate will ‘explore' ban on cellphones in public schools, top Democrat says

Advertisement 'Making schools cell phone free should be as fundamental to our understanding of what helps a child learn as providing school meals and access to social and emotional learning resources,' Spilka planned to tell members of the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce, according to a copy of her prepared remarks. The Senate would 'explore ways to keep our schools distraction-free— and, more precisely, cellphone free," according to Spilka, though she didn't endorse a specific piece of legislation. State lawmakers this session have Advertisement Spilka pointed to what she called 'mounting evidence' that cell phone usage during the school day is detrimental to students, from providing a simple distraction to what she called 'more worrying issues,' such as cheating and cyber bullying. Patrick Tutwiler, the state's education secretary, has voiced support for the Campbell-backed bill dubbed the 'STUDY Act,' which also would require social media companies to implement additional health and safety policies. Leadership at the Massachusetts Teachers Association has also backed some type of a ban, saying phone use can facilitate bullying, and take time away from 'play and sleep and real-world human connection.' Many school districts have already taken steps to curb students' phone use. For example, Boston last year awarded a three-year, $843,000 contract earlier to Yondr, a company that makes individual magnetic locked pouches that students can put their phones in. In many cases, the state is already helping the effort, awarding nearly $1.3 million in grants to 77 districts to reduce cellphone usage among students, the Globe reported last year. About three-quarters of districts used funding to purchase pouches, lockers, charging stations, and the like. But district-level efforts have also generated controversy. At Ipswich High School, a student launched a petition on in an emergency. Opposition to bans has emerged at other schools, such as This is a developing story and will be updated. Advertisement Matt Stout can be reached at