New ‘bell to bell’ phone policy on deck for September 2026 brings mixed feelings
This July, the Massachusetts Senate passed a bill to create phone-free schools from ‘bell to bell’ that will be implemented in high schools in the Commonwealth at the start of the next school year.
The “Act to promote student learning and mental health” aims to “boost focus, improve mental health, and foster healthier learning environments,” by diverting students away from phones and toward learning and socialization, according to an article in the Lynnfield Weekly News.
Students and teachers at ARHS have mixed feelings about the new policy to come. Some think it will be worse than the current ARHS policy, where students have to place their phones in cell phone pouches when they enter a room but can access it between classes and during lunch.
Additionally, while some teachers give grades for placing the phones in pouches or tie cell phone storage to attendance, others simply request that students do so without reinforcements.
Under the new law, exceptions would only be allowed for students who need their personal device for medical conditions, accommodations in their IEPs, or fo off off-campus travel for work studies or college classes.
While students and teachers I surveyed agreed that the new policy will most likely make teachers’ lives in the classroom easier and would lessen distractions, others were concerned about the policy. Freshman Ramona Mayfield thinks having access to her phone is better than not. “I don’t think it will be good because it will make people stressed,” she said. “It might make them rebel or not listen to the rules.”
Junior Anika Theis agreed, thinking there could be a backlash against the policy. “I think any more strict policies on the student body will just cause us to hate administrative figures and lead us to believe they’re just trying to make us miserable,” Theis said.
“Not being able to connect with people from other schools or listen to music in between classes would make me feel like a robot just going through the same routine every day,” she added. “And there is no doubt in my mind that people will find a way to cheat the policy. A stricter policy will just make for sneaky students.”
Seniors Nico Lisle and Juniors Peter Tanguay, Mya Glace, and Day Kim all said they only check their phones during passing periods or lunch, not more than 45 minutes total in an entire school day.
Kim noted that not having their phone during the school day is a safety issue with the looming threat of school shootings. “Although things like that aren’t common in Amherst, it’s still worrying. I’d like to contact my family and loved ones in the case of an emergency,” they said.
Lisle, even using his phone minimally, appreciates occasionally getting “to play Clash Royale in school, if I’m bored and there’s no one to talk to.”
“I get to check what’s happening in the world and in my life,” he said.
Ninth grader Enzo Tuzzolo said he appreciates when he can listen to music while doing schoolwork. “Music can help people focus,” he said. But he said he does feel “slightly addicted” to his phone and sometimes feels like “I am wasting my time” on it.
Others noted that the wifi and cell service is spotty in school, so many phones or laptops don’t work anyway.
Sophomore Luke Broudy admitted that a stricter policy would help him. He said his phone makes him feel “bad.” Even though Broudy largely uses a phone for music and texting, he believes phones “are distracting and take away from social [interactions].”
“Truthfully, I would love it if phones were taken away,” Broudy said.
Teachers also said they think it will help. One teacher, science teacher Evan Mahnken, said he doesn’t even have a phone himself and he likes it that way. “Do I still doomscroll? Certainly, the old-fashioned way, on a desktop,” he said. “But if I’m out of the house, I’m alone with my thoughts. My mind wanders. I don’t feel like I’m missing anything by not having one. I don’t really understand the appeal, to be honest.”
