Possible Massachusetts Law to Ban Cell Phones in Public Schools

With Massachusetts being one of the oldest states in the country, the Bay State has a deep history dating back to the earliest settlers. Massachusetts is home to the oldest churches, restaurants, and even the oldest bar in the U.S. So it doesn't come as a massive surprise that the oldest public high school in the country is also located in Massachusetts.

While the oldest high school in the country is located in Massachusetts, schools across the country have changed dramatically over time. Teachers, students, and parents continue to face challenges as society changes; one of the biggest changes is technology.

The rate at which technology progresses is hard to keep up with at times, and that means schools are constantly trying to navigate and regulate student use of the internet, social media and of course cell phone use.

New Massachusetts Law Could Ban Cell Phones at All Public Schools

If one Massachusetts lawmaker gets her way, cell phones will be banned from all public schools in the state.

Senate President Karen Spilka, a Democrat from Ashland, brought the idea to her colleagues in a meeting yesterday while discussing the 2026 fiscal budget. The Democrat to Ashland breached the idea of banning cell phones in public schools, but hasn't officially filed any motions to move the would be regulations forward. Not yet, at least.

There is mounting evidence that cell phone usage among students during the school day is detrimental for a number of reasons — from simple distraction to more worrying issues such as cheating and cyber bullying

She implored fellow lawmakers to join her in working to keep schools "distraction and cell phone-free."

In Massachusetts, our schools should be a truly safe space where kids can grow, learn, make mistakes, and develop healthy relationships, and so making schools cell phone free should be as fundamental to our understanding of what helps a child learn as providing school meals and access to social and emotional learning resources