FITCHBURG — Schools in the Twin Cities have rolled out policies for students that align with state legislation being negotiated that will ban smart devices including cell phones during the school day.
The Fitchburg Public Schools (FPS) School Committee implemented a policy that establishes a bell-to-bell restriction on student use of personal electronic devices during the instructional day, which is subject to exceptions outlined in the policy and accompanying administrative regulations.
In the FPS policy expectations for all students are clearly outlined. Elementary school students are strongly encouraged to leave personal electronic devices at home and any such devices brought to school will be turned off and stored in the student’s backpack or other designated location during the school day, unless otherwise authorized by school personnel for educational or medical purposes.
When it comes to FPS middle and high school bell-to-bell restrictions, students shall not access or use personal electronic devices during the instructional day except as authorized by the policy, administrative regulation, or school administration. The instructional day includes all class periods, transition times, study periods, lunches, assemblies, school-sponsored activities occurring during the school day, and any other time students are under school supervision during regular school hours.
“We are still very early in the process but overall, I think the first few days have gone well,” FPS Superintendent Jon Thompson said of the new policy that was put into place for the 2026-27 school year, which kicked off on Sept.1, and going forward. “There has definitely been an adjustment for students and staff, which we expected, and we have also had a few issues with the Doorman technology that we are working through.”
The technology he mentioned works like this. The Doorman app is downloaded on a student’s phone and upon entering school the students tap their phones on a Doorman DoorTag, which looks like a credit card.
“This tapping in prevents students from accessing most cell phone functionalities during school hours,” Thompson said. “Students have the capability to unlock their restrictions in the case of an emergency and communication from student to caregiver or caregiver to student is done through the school’s main office.”
Key points to note include that Doorman is only active during the school day, the app automatically unlocks the devices and lifts restrictions at school dismissal time, and restrictions never activate automatically. Students must physically tap into a classroom DoorTag or scan a classroom QR code while in class to enable restrictions and only tapping on the DoorTag enables the restrictions. If a student is absent or home sick, restrictions will not turn on.
This comes on the heels of the Massachusetts legislation to ban cell phones in schools remaining stalled as the House and Senate continue to negotiate differences between their respective bills. Senate Bill 2581 and House Bill 5366 would prohibit personal devices from the time students arrive at school until the dismissal bell rings, restrictions that would apply to smartphones, tablets, and gaming devices.
While both chambers support limiting phones, the House combined its school cell phone ban with broader social media age-verification mandates. Senate Bill 2581 aims to establish guidelines for managing personal electronic devices in public schools, focusing on minimizing distractions and enhancing student learning and mental health.
By requiring school districts to prohibit student cell phone use during the school day, the bill aims to boost focus, improve mental health, and foster a healthier learning environment by removing the “greatest distraction device ever created” from classrooms, keeping the students focused on learning.
If the legislation becomes law, school districts could enforce the restrictions in one of three ways. Schools could require secure storage bags, such as magnetized pouches; use geofencing technology to make phones inoperable on school grounds; or submit an alternative plan to the state for approval. In the absence of a statewide mandate, many individual school districts across Massachusetts have already implemented their own bell-to-bell smart devices bans.
Sizer School Principal Arthur Unobskey announced in a June 6 email sent out to parents and guardians that they have put a cell phone policy in place at the Fitchburg charter school.
“At Sizer, we are committed to creating a learning environment where every student can thrive academically, socially, and emotionally,” he wrote. “When the Massachusetts legislature passed S2561, with its legal requirement that ‘all public school districts adopt cell phone-free school policies by fall 2026,’ we sought an approach that would help us fulfill our mission.
“In response to the new Massachusetts law banning cell phone use in schools, beginning on the first day of the 2026-2027 school year we will launch the Yondr Phone-Free Schools Program,” Unobskey continued. “Yondr is a proven, bell-to-bell approach that supports student focus, well-being, and connection by removing cell phone distractions during the school day.
He shared additional information about Yondr in the communication, that it has helped schools across all 50 states and more than 35 countries build healthier, more engaging school cultures for over a decade and their pouch-based program, combined with hands-on guidance and dedicated support, has led to powerful results. Those statistics include 86% of schools using Yondr reported improved safety and student wellness, 84% saw increased engagement in class, 68% experienced academic gain, and 44% saw reduced behavioral referrals.
Unobskey also explained how the program works. Each student has been assigned a Yondr pouch, a secure, lockable case for storing personal devices. Students are responsible for bringing their pouch to and from school each day and keeping it in good condition and upon arrival for the school day they power off their phones, earbuds, and smartwatches and place all devices in the Yondr pouch and lock it.
If a student has larger headphones that don’t fit in their pouch, they place them in their backpack and during the day, students keep the locked pouch in their backpack or locker and at dismissal they unlock their pouches at designated stations to retrieve their devices.
Students who arrive late or are dismissed early go through the above procedures in the main office and Unobskey assured parents and guardians that the “process is quick, simple, and will be supervised by staff as part of our daily routine.”
If parents or guardians need to communicate with their child, they can contact the main office, and they will get the message to them. In the case of an emergency in which they need to speak to their child on the phone immediately, Unobskey said they will call the student to the main office.
“Please note that if there were an emergency in school, your children will not need access to their cell phones,” he said in his email. “As in schools throughout the country, our safety protocols already prohibit students from accessing their cell phones during a school emergency. This enables them to give their full attention to following the school’s safety procedures.”
Thompson also addressed this, saying he understands “the concerns from parents, especially around communication and emergencies.”
“We spent a lot of time talking about those issues before adopting the policy and we have procedures in place for emergencies as well as exceptions for students who need access to a device for medical or other documented needs,” he disclosed.
Thompson went on to say he fully supports “the direction the state is going.”
“For me, the goal is pretty simple. We want students focused on learning and interacting with their teachers and classmates during the school day, rather than being distracted by their phones and social media,” he conveyed. “I do think limiting cell phone use during the school day can have a positive impact on both learning and the overall school environment.
“Cell phones have become a real challenge in schools, and I think we have reached a point where we need to address it,” Thompson continued. “The biggest challenge for us will be consistency. This is a big change, and we know it isn’t going to be perfect in the first week. We are going to keep working with our students, staff, and families as everyone gets used to the new expectations.”
According to a recent Nextdoor post, Leominster Public Schools (LPS) is also utilizing Doorman. As of press time LPS Superintendent Robin Desmond had not responded to a request for comment.
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