Northampton Schools Receives $50,000 Grant for Cellphone Ban
The district will use the grant to cover costs of implementing its new bell-to-bell phone storage policy, which took effect this school year.
Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Campbell announced a $50,000 grant to Northampton Public Schools on Tuesday as part of a statewide effort to support cellphone bans in schools. Northampton is one of 17 school districts statewide sharing $625,000 in total grant funding through Campbell's office's Phone-Free School Support Grant program. The district implemented a bell-to-bell cellphone ban this school year following a School Committee vote in June.
The grant will help cover costs associated with phone storage, staff training, program evaluation, and other expenses related to the policy. Campbell visited Northampton High School on Tuesday to meet with students and discuss the ban's effects on school life.
Students described both benefits and drawbacks of the policy. Catherine Peters, a senior, said the ban encourages in-person conversation over phone use, though she acknowledged it sometimes means less productive activities. Henry Daggett, also a senior, noted that the Yondr pouches used to lock away phones have changed the cafeteria environment, with students more engaged with each other and focused in class.
Alex Montague, a student, said coordinating non-emergency arrangements during the school day has been complicated under the new policy. Montague mentioned difficulty communicating with her mother about after-school plans and family matters.
Campbell said schools with phone bans have reported increased student focus, improved peer relationships, and reductions in cyberbullying. She addressed concerns from parents about emergency communication, saying that law enforcement and school faculty are responsible for protecting students during crises.
The Phone-Free School Support Grant program supports legislation pending in the state legislature. An Act to Promote Student Learning and Mental Health (S.2581) would ban student use of cellphones and other devices in middle and high schools statewide.
Campbell is also pursuing a lawsuit against TikTok, alleging the company designed its platform to be addictive and harmful to young users. Separately, the state is using $1.75 million to help schools address social media use and its effects on young people through the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education's Safe, Healthy and Responsible Digital Life Grant program.