School Committee moves to adopt a new phone policy

What happened

The School Committee's June 15, 2026 agenda calls for a final vote on a brand-new policy, JICJA, setting districtwide rules for cellphones and personal electronic devices. The policy followed months of work: Fitchburg High School's council first discussed it in February 2026, the Policy Subcommittee surveyed families and reviewed other districts' rules through the spring, and the committee opened a first reading on June 1, 2026 before scheduling the final vote for June 15.

Why it matters to families

This would be the district's first districtwide rule on phones in school. It sets when and where students can use a phone during the day, replacing school-by-school practices like the phone protocol Longsjo Middle School had already put in place on its own.

The evidence

The June 15, 2026 agenda lists 'Policy JICJA; Cellphone and Personal Electronic Device Use (new) - Final Reading' and action item #26-641 asking the committee to accept the Policy Subcommittee's recommendation on JICJA. The June 1, 2026 agenda shows the same policy at first reading, and Policy Subcommittee agendas from December 2025 through May 2026 show the survey and drafting work behind it. No minutes were available in the collected period to confirm the June 15 vote passed.

The source