Lee public schools starts no cell policy

LEE, MASS (NEWS10) — From bell to bell, no cell. Lee, Massachusetts is the latest school district to try and curtail student cell phone usage.

Students at Lee Public Schools have been allowed to carry cell phones for the better part of 15 years. Superintendent Michael Richard, however, says that privilege has been abused prompting the policy that began last week.

“It was interfering with what we think is the most important part of the school day, which is academics,” Richard said.

Unlike some districts where students have to keep their phones locked in a pouch, Lee students can carry their's powered on. They just cannot be seen or used during school hours. It’s not just phones: “We don't want to see earbuds in your ears we're trying to minimize the use of smartwatches,” Richard said. He added that smartwatches have been harder to ban because kids need them for timekeeping. It is the digital learning age after all so students are given laptops with restricted internet access. 

“The middle and high school principal Greg Brighenti has shared with me that students have approached him and said ‘I feel like I'm more focused’. Staff have approached him and said ‘I feel like my students are more attentive’,” said Superintendent Richard.

Naturally, eighth graders in a history class had mixed reviews. One student said the policy works well for study hall. Another said the hardest part was not having phones during lunch and that they missed Instagram and TikTok reels.  That’s why he and his staff are also participating. 

“I feel very guilty sometimes about feeling like it's in an appendage to me” Richard admitted.

“It’s definitely impacted our school climate and culture in a positive manner” said Principal Jim Mc Hugh of Howard Goff Middle School in East Greenbush. They've banned phones since the school year began, telling us an overwhelming majority of staff find this effective.

"The phones are out of sight and they're away,” the interim principal told NEWS10. He added that the school follows a three-strike policy for noncompliant students, escalating from a warning to confiscation and parental phone retrieval. Both He and Richard say parents have mostly been concerned about the inability to contact their kid in an emergency. For that, parents can simply call the schools. 

“There's not one single room in this building that does not have a phone that has outside access” Mc Hugh reassured.

Lee Superintendent Richard says the district will continue collecting data to monitor the effectiveness of the program.