Malden School Committee wants local say in proposed statewide policy on cell phones in schools

Malden state Sen. Lewis spearheaded formulation of new legislation that would govern use of cell phones in public schools

By Steve Freker

Malden students should be governed by protocols designed with local oversight, not by a universal policy determined by state legislators when it comes to the use of cell phones in the Malden Public Schools. That was the sentiment of the Malden School Committee at Monday night’s meeting, where the members voted unanimously to support a resolution stating that a “one size fits all” policy is not suitable here.

“We want to inform state legislators that we know our Malden students best and we trust them to follow rules that we establish [on cell phone use],” said Malden School Committee Vice Chair Jennifer Spadafora.

Vice Chair Spadafora authored a formal resolution that calls for local input into the final legislation, which will now be forwarded to state legislators.

The Massachusetts Senate on July 31 overwhelmingly (38-2 vote) passed An Act to Promote Student Learning and Mental Health (S.2561), which is essentially a “bell to bell” ban on the use of cell phones in schools.

According to information on the bill from Mass. Senate President Karen Spilka, “An Act to Promote Student Learning and Mental Health seeks to keep students’ eyes on their classwork and instructors and away from their cell phones.”

“By removing personal cell phone use from the classroom, Massachusetts public schools will be places where students can focus on learning,” a statement from Sen. Spilka added.

On Monday, Vice Chair Spadafora presented her resolution and gave some Malden-specific anecdotes, which illustrated why this community was unique with respect to demographics and diversity, and in turn needed a Malden-centric cell phone policy for its public schools. The Ward 3 School Committee rep noted that the committee had already approved and set up a Malden Public Schools cell phone policy — districtwide — and that students in grades K-8 already had their phones secured during the school day, while high school students were required to keep their cell phones out of sight while in class.

Vice Chair Spadafora said the existing policy, which was adopted by the Malden School Committee in 2023, is working effectively and that part of the reason for the resolution is to try and help ensure the present policy would continue. She explained that due to Malden Public Schools cultural diversity and many languages spoken — over 70 at Malden High School alone — that cell phones with their language translation apps are used by students on a daily basis to effectively communicate with their peers and also educators and administrators.

After Vice Chair Spadafora read the resolution she prepared aloud, the members of the School Committee voted unanimously to adopt it and send it forward. Voting in favor were members Robert McCarthy Jr. (Ward 2), Vice Chair Spadafora (Ward 3), Elizabeth Hortie (Ward 5), Joseph Gray (Ward 6), Keith Bernard (Ward 7), Sharyn Rose-Zeiberg (Ward 8), Chairperson and Malden Mayor Gary Christenson and, attending and voting remotely, Michael Drummey (Ward 1) and Dawn Macklin (Ward 4).

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Following is the text of the resolution presented by Malden School Committee Vice Chair Jennifer Spadafora and unanimously passed by the members at Monday night’s meeting.

WHEREAS: The Massachusetts State Legislature is considering passage of Bill S.2581, “An Act to Promote Student Learning and Mental Health” and

WHEREAS: Bill S.2581 would require school districts to implement policies prohibiting cell phone usage and the actual possession of personal electronic devices during the school day and during school sponsored activities during the school day; and

WHEREAS: The Malden School Committee adopted Policy JICJ governing cell phone use on December 3, 2023, that ensures personal electronic devices do not pose a distraction to students during instructional time; and

WHEREAS: The Malden School Committee believes that a blanket “bell to bell” policy undermines the important work of helping high school students develop their own maturity in managing their use of cell phones and other forms of technology; and

WHEREAS: Malden High School has over 70 languages spoken by our students and electronic devices have allowed our English Language Learners to communicate effectively with their English-speaking peers; and

WHEREAS: Our young adults in the Malden Public Schools have shown they are capable of putting phones away when their use is inappropriate and that establishing boundaries with technology is an important part of students’ development and they should be allowed to grow in this way.

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED: that the Malden School Committee supports S.2561, “An Act to promote student learning and mental health” as usage of cell phones during school hours is a valid concern however, this Committee believes local school committees and boards should retain the autonomy to determine how best to address this issue within their communities and urges Massachusetts legislature to amend Bill S.2581, as a one size fits all policy is not an appropriate solution.