As you may know by now, in the beginning of the new school year here at Doherty Memorial High School and other schools in Worcester, there has been a new rule implemented where students have to put their phones in the phone holders of each teacher’s classroom. They are able to get it back after class has ended, in the hallways during transition times, and during their lunch period.

As of recently, there was a bill for cellphones and other electronic devices owned by students to be banned in Massachusetts public schools. This bill is co-sponsored by the Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell. In a media release, Campbell had some words to say about how exactly she felt about this situation and shared some of her thoughts:
“By restricting cell phones during the school day and raising the bar for social media companies, we are taking bold steps to create learning environments free from distraction and a digital landscape that prioritizes the well-being of our youth. This bill is a commitment to both education and mental health for our young people, ensuring they have the tools to succeed without unnecessary harm,” Campbell shared.

What Exactly is The Study Act?
The bill, called The Study Act, continues to explain how it will prohibit students from having access to their personal devices, specifically cell phones, during the whole school day. This bill will also require all Massachusetts schools to have a formal policy made about the usage of cell phones as well as policies on how to properly educate students about the potential harms of social media use.

Campbell also shares a study that shows 72% of high school teachers believe the cell phone usage from their students is a huge problem in classrooms these days, according to the Pew Research Center. On a side note, this study also tells us that six out of ten high school teachers whose schools or districts already have smartphone policies put in place say that it is still very difficult to enforce them.

This study further explains how most of the teens in the U.S. say that there are more benefits than harm when it comes to people their age using cell phones in general. Fellow students and teachers of Doherty Memorial High School have shared some of their thoughts and opinions on this issue.

Here’s what they have to say…
“I am completely in favor of this bill. Students cannot learn while distracted by a phone. Social media, Netflix, TikTok … accessible through a phone while in school is a recipe for students not learning and decreasing their attention span. Making a policy to prohibit phone use is the best thing our school did. The students will thank us later.” -Teacher here at DMHS.
“After looking at The Study Act, I think this bill would be bad in case of an emergency. While prohibiting phones during class time is very reasonable, having them not allowed to be used within the whole school day (like lunch and passing period) will have some downsides. For instance, when my family has an emergency, I know they wouldn’t even think to call the office first, but tell me directly. If we were to not be able to use them during the free time (lunch and passing period), it might cause problems and confusion for the parents and students. Yes, they can call the office but it’s more convenient to tell their own child, rather than having to look up the schools phone number, explain to the office, and then the office needing to either call the teacher or even call the student down. Sometimes, the parents might not want to share the information with others, besides their child or family, causing problems to privacy. Also, in any instance where there was someone in the school, I’m sure the parents would want to know if their kid is safe or at least get a text from their kid so they know what’s happening. For the same instance, if students weren’t allowed to use their phones and all the parents of these students were to call the office at one time, it would cause lots of confusion and worry about their child, since the office can only take so many calls.” – A fellow Highlander shares.
“I think that while this seems extreme, it is absolutely necessary. Many students will argue that they are not addicted to their cell phones, yet they argue about putting them away, lie about not having them and then try to sneakily use them in class. They are a huge distraction. Also, much of the drama in school is caused by the comments made about each other online. Eliminating this from the school day would be so beneficial.” – A teacher here at DMHS elaborated.
“My thoughts for this bill are so real. I think we don’t really have to use our phones during classes. During lunch, it is enough to use the phone.” – A student here at DMHS.
“I think it’s really dumb. I say just let the students keep the phones in their pocket, if they are warned more than twice, then the teacher should take away the phone. The phone pockets are dumb.” – A student here at DMHS.
“After researching about The Study Act, I feel that our devices don’t have a huge toll on in-class distractions. Though they may make a difference in attention span, I’ve noticed that before this policy, most kids weren’t letting their personal device usage take up their class time, but rather their peers. Students were still getting their work complete and turned in on time and this rule just doesn’t really seem to make all of the difference. Heavy on the fact that they’re restricting the usage of headphones/earbuds. If we are simply working on an assignment, why get rid of them? Smart watches also don’t appear to be a harm to learning. If we’re just working on an assignment, it doesn’t seem to make sense to ban them, and listening to music can help some students concentrate. Overall, while I agree that mental health should be a priority, students still find ways to access online content and social media, even through school devices. So, while these rules aim to reduce distractions, it may not be an effective solution.” – A Highlander communicated to us.
“I think that this bill is unnecessary and that the cell phone policy at DMHS is better because students are able to check their phones during passing time and lunch which allows them to communicate with their parents and are able to alert others if they need help.” – A Highlander shared.
“I think this bill makes a lot of sense. Comparing my classroom experience from last year to this year, having a strict cell phone policy is a total game changer. I believe students have an unhealthy obsession with their phones and it has caused them to feel much more isolated and anxious. While I recognize that there will be a tough transition to removing phones for the school day, it is definitely worth the initial pains to improve student engagement and mental health.” – A Teacher here at DMHS told us.
“I agree with this bill. I agree with this bill because, being in the same generation as some of my students, I understand how controlling and addicting social media can be. Social media is like a drug and it is not healthy for students to be watching, reading, or interacting with the content during the school day. School is a place to learn, make memories, and form bonds with other peers and teachers. The use of a phone in a classroom is unnecessary because all my students have Chromebooks. In case of an emergency, parents will be notified, so there should be no excuse that a student needs to reach a parent during the day. From a teacher standpoint it is very discouraging to see your students not interacting with one another because they are using their phones. Phones hinder progress inside and outside of the classroom and I think that this act should be set in place.” – A teacher here at DMHS shared with us.
“I hate it. If it’s free time, we should be able to use it then. If you just say, “you can contact the office during an emergency!” No, because people have plans they wanna discuss with their parents or others. What if that plan changes? Everyone has something they need to do during free time. And everyone will be bothering the office to call someone. If this is because of the people not following the phone policy. Then set it on those people. Not the rest.” – A Highlander elaborated.
The Data from Responses are…


According to these responses from fellow Highlanders and Staff members, students tend to feel like they are not being heard when it comes to being fair with keeping the phones away. Some students believe having their phones during lunch and transition times will be beneficial to them and in no way harming their education, while teachers and staff members believe that phones are doing more harm than good. After reading this article, do you believe this bill should be passed? Do you believe Doherty’s cell phone policy is more than enough? Will prohibiting phones the entire school day improve the students’ daily experience without disrupting their education? Please share your thoughts and opinions by clicking the comment button on the right hand side! Thank you for following along!