What a Cell Phone Ban Might Mean for Needham Schools

August 4, 2025
• The MA Senate passed legislation that would restrict student cell phone use in the state’s public schools during the school day.

It’s a topic that, in state Sen. Becca Rausch’s words, “has ballooned up to the surface.”

“Last term in the legislature, not a single bill on cell phone use in schools was filed,” said Rausch, who represents Needham, “and this term, half a dozen were filed.”

On Thursday, Rausch and 37 other lawmakers passed S.2561, a bill to prohibit cell phone use in public schools starting next fall. The ban would include a number of exceptions: medical reasons, such as for diabetic students to monitor their glucose levels, for individualized educational plans (IEPs) and for off-campus activities, such as dual enrollment.

Local districts would be granted some leeway in how such a law would be implemented, either through phone pouches, lockers or other “options for secure storage,” the bill states. The bill will next require House approval and, if approved, the governor’s signature to become a law.

Starting last school year, all classrooms at Needham High School used phone holders, where students deposited their devices for the duration of the class period, but use was allowable at teachers’ discretion. That practice was codified into school policy for this upcoming school year.

Under the Senate bill’s provisions, NHS students would not be able to use their phones during passing periods and other non-instructional time, such as lunch.

That aspect of the bill concerns NHS Principal Aaron Sicotte — some high schoolers leave campus for lunch, meaning they wouldn’t be able to use their phones to communicate with parents or simply buy food using Apple Pay. Each school district “has its own peculiarities” that he feels the bill doesn’t necessarily provide flexibility for, he said.

The time and effort to police phone use would also put a strain on staff, Sicotte said. He saw that first-hand when he visited area schools that lock up students’ phones in pouches.

“[There’s] a significant number of staff every single morning who are dedicated to seeing that process through,” Sicotte said of another school. “And as soon as they’re doing that, they’re not doing something else. And if they’re not doing something else, then the big aspect of their job is not being taken care of.”

A phone ban could also require additional staff, which means additional financial investment on the part of the schools, Sicotte added.

At Pollard Middle School and High Rock School, any use of cell phones and personal technology is restricted throughout the school day, and they must be placed out of sight, according to the revised student handbooks. Needham elementary schools are “Cell Phone Free,” the handbooks state.

“The Needham Public Schools recognizes the pervasive technological environment that exists in today’s world and strongly believes in the centrality of the classroom. We are committed to providing uninterrupted, high quality classroom instruction, minimizing distractions, and increasing engagement and learning for students,” each handbook states. “Equally important is our dedication to fostering a supportive environment that nurtures the social and emotional health and well-being of each student.”

The bill aims to both combat distractions in the classroom but also address students’ mental health. During discussion of the bill on Thursday, state Sen. Julian Cyr said the piece of legislation is “common sense.”

“It’s evidence-based and informed and a step to protect student well-being and help young people rediscover the joy of learning and face-to-face connection,” Cyr said. “It empowers our public schools to reclaim the school day as a space for focus, learning and real human interaction, free from the addictive and often harmful grip of personal electronic devices.”

Should a parent or guardian need to contact a student — or vice versa — districts would be required to provide a means for which to do so under the current bill.

Deb Schmill, president of the Becca Schmill Foundation founded in Needham, advocated for a “bell-to-bell ban” that would ensure students cannot engage with their devices in any capacity until the end of the day. The Becca Schmill Foundation works to advance legislation regarding phone use and social media in an effort to protect youth.

Schmill supported the attorney general’s STUDY Act, which called for a bell-to-bell ban and included policies around social media use. That bill was redrafted into S.2561.

The current bill creates room for additional “case-specific” exceptions, such as for classroom lessons, translation services and emergencies. In Schmill’s view, “the more exceptions, not necessary exceptions, the less impact the bill will have.”

“To see Massachusetts get hung up on local control is really disappointing,” Schmill said. “As long as the kids know they can have access, either in their next class or if it’s stored in their locker, we know from the brain science that having them accessible means the kids are thinking about them.”

A longitudinal study published in June found that about 30% of youth, from ages 9 or 10 to ages 14, were on track to have “high addictive use” of social media. Those teens also showed elevated risk of suicidal thoughts or behaviors, according to the ongoing study.

A majority of states have passed legislation regulating cell phone use in schools, including New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Texas and Ohio. In Massachusetts, several districts have already instituted bell-to-bell bans, including Brockton High School, Chicopee High School, Salem High School and Holyoke Middle Schools and High School.

In Massachusetts, the ban would apply to personal laptops, smartwatches, tablets and Bluetooth-enabled devices but “shall not include school issued or sanctioned devices that are used for a legitimate educational purpose,” the bill states.

Rausch said she feels “it’s important to have consistency across the Commonwealth.” School officials and her constituents in recent weeks have reached out to signal their support for policy at the state level, she said.

“It is a pervasive problem, and a lot of the areas of my district already have what some people call an off-and-away policy, where students are already not allowed to use cell phones during the day,” she said. “So in that regard, not actually that much of a change.”

The Massachusetts Teachers Association expressed support for the Senate bill, calling it a “key piece of legislation.” The Needham Education Association, the local branch of the MTA, did not respond to an emailed request for comment.

More than 70% of teachers surveyed in the fall of 2023 by the Pew Research Center consider phones a “major problem” in the classroom, and 60% of high school teachers say their school policies around phones are difficult to enforce.

At NHS, Sicotte deemed their phone practice a success, leading to its continuation this fall. Prioritizing instructional time has worked, he said, and a semi-restriction allows students to graduate high school fully equipped with technological prowess and understanding.

While the bill is “well-intentioned,” Sicotte said he’d like to see more of the decision-making be left to school administrators.

“As we’re thinking about how we’re helping kids stay focused, it is about teaching them how to use technology. It is about limiting further access to technology at times. It’s all about teaching them how they learn as people and how they grow as learners and as people, making sure that we have lessons that are engaging and relevant, so that the focus is there,” he said. “I think it’s a much more complicated issue than sometimes it’s made into, and I hope that ultimately what comes through state, should they decide to move something forward, acknowledges some of the complexity of it all.”