NEWTON, MASS. (WHDH) – Teachers at F.A. Day Middle School in Newton said students’ cell phones were always out, and it was becoming a problem.
“It was all the time. Classrooms, hallways, bathrooms, lunchrooms. It was on their mind, and it was on our minds,” said Jenna Monahan, a seventh grade teacher at F.A. Day Middle School.
Jackie Mann, the school’s principal, decided to change that.
Three years ago, Mann implemented a system where students would drop their phones into special pouches at the beginning of the day, and not get them back until the final bell. In just one year, phone issues, like texting in class and arguing with teachers when told to hand them over, dropped from 400 to just 15.
“The kids are literally and figuratively present,” said Jess McGettrick, a theater teacher at F.A. Day Middle School. “They interact with the teacher more. They create more connections with each other.”
Students say they’re thriving in school without their screens.
“I’m not texting on my phone and I’m paying attention,” said Nora Klein, a seventh grade student.
“We get to socialize more and no one’s just focusing on their phone, so I feel like we socialize more, which is a good thing,” said Isabella Azenstein, an eighth grade student.
Starting in 2026, Massachusetts will require every public school to restrict cell phone use. The state is not mandating one solution; each district can choose how to do it, whether it’s locking phones away, collecting them in class, or setting clear rules for when they can be used.
“It increases performance, especially for lower-achieving students who are at risk,” said Dr. Ellen Braaten, a Child Psychologist at Mass General Hospital. “Teachers are reporting more satisfaction in their jobs, decreased problem behaviors within the classroom and kids seem to like it.”
At first, some parents at F.A. Day Middle School said they were apprehensive about the no-phone policy, saying they were cut off from their children and worried about reaching them in an emergency.
“Once we got the hang of it, those worries kind of disappeared,” said Angie Kim, a parent at F.A. Day Middle School. “They will not notice it in a few days and your kids will be just fine. Everybody will survive.”
Parents said the ban is helping them make phone rules easier to enforce at home as well.
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