Phones come out of the school day from September 2026

What happened

The School Committee adopted an updated Electronic Communication Devices Policy 7500 and waived the usual second reading, both by unanimous vote. Members discussed the policy in terms of problems at the high school, the open campus and how students would be disciplined. Later minutes in the same year record that the new rules take effect in September 2026 and that the high school ran a trial no-phone day first.

Why it matters to families

This changes what every student can do with a phone during the school day, and how they will be disciplined if they do not follow the rules. Families have a school year's notice before it starts.

The evidence

The December 17, 2025 approved minutes record the motion to waive additional readings and the unanimous vote to approve the Electronic Communication Devices Policy 7500 update, together with the discussion of high school enforcement. The minutes do not reproduce the policy text, so the exact wording of the new rules is not in the collected record.

The source