Boston Public Schools takes steps against cellphone use as Massachusetts dithers on statewide ban 

While a statewide ban on school cellphones languishes in the Massachusetts Legislature, Boston Public Schools (BPS) is mulling restrictions on all personal electronic devices – including laptops, smartwatches and tablets – throughout the school day.

“By establishing a bell-to-bell distraction-free environment, BPS aims to improve student mental health, academic engagement, and school culture across the district,” reads a memo to the school committee, as reported by the local NBC affiliate.

The committee is scheduled to vote on the proposed ban in January, and even if it is approved, the district would not implement it until September 2027, according to GBH News.

“I would take the time to work with families, students, stakeholders, educators to create a uniform policy that is administered uniformly across grade levels, across schools,” said Will Austin, co-founder of the Substack Boston Focus and education consultant.

Under the proposed ban, students in all grades in the state’s largest district would be required to lock away all non-school-issued devices using options provided by individual schools.

However, exceptions exist for those using an Individualized Education Program, the NBC affiliate noted.

“I think it’s really important that school districts, like Boston, have moved forward with these policies, given that the state has yet to pass its own statewide guidance,” Austin concluded. “Early research shows that when implemented correctly, these cell phone bans can be beneficial for students in school.”

Other districts that have already implemented cellphone bans include Brockton, Cambridge, Fall River and Newton, as a statewide ban “has lost momentum on Beacon Hill,” Boston.com wrote.

“Many of our schools already have some form of ban on cellphones,” said BPS Superintendent Mary Skipper at the Oct. 14 committee meeting, noting she wants “flexibility for the schools, but also a menu of two or three ways to implement the policy.”

The district enrolled approximately 44,000 students in the 2025-26 academic year.

National trend against cellphones

As previously reported by Heartlander News, more than half of U.S. states have implemented bell-to-bell school bans, and more – including Massachusetts’ neighbor, Connecticut – are considering them.

In the Constitution State, districts can still decide whether to ban cellphones, but the state’s education board strongly encouraged them to adopt such restrictions in August.

Advocates for cellphone bans often point to success stories such as those coming from Florida: higher test scores, greater emotional connection and better learning retention.

“I love it that they don’t have their phones in hand, and for those who are struggling with that, I’m working with them to be able to part with their phones,” said Tara Basile, longtime math teacher at North Fort Myers High School. “It was just a distraction, because all they wanted to do was pull the phone out to text or scroll through TikTok, rather than do the work that they’re supposed to be doing in class.”

Praise for the screen-free policies even came from students who noticed a difference in the overall learning experience.

“I think it has many more benefits than it has cons,” said junior Justin Stevens. “I like that everyone’s focused, everyone’s talking with one another. It’s much livelier than it was the past two years.”