Barnstable, Aug. 20, 2025 — The Barnstable School Committee on Wednesday moved to table a proposed districtwide policy restricting student use of cell phones during the school day after more than an hour of discussion about safety, enforcement and family communication.

The committee’s motion to table the measure passed 3–1. The proposal would have required that “cell phones and other personal electronic devices are not accessible to students during the school day,” while allowing building principals to publish specific guidelines in local handbooks.

The debate split members who said teachers and administrators had asked for a clear district rule to back enforcement, and members who said the policy as written was too blunt and risks unintended consequences. “The relief of hearing his voice and knowing he was safe was absolutely monumental. And I would never, ever, ever restrict that,” said School Committee member Jen, who urged caution about cutting off parent contact in emergencies. Jen read a personal case in which being able to call her child during severe weather was critical.

“Cell phones are the most distracting device ever created,” said School Committee member Peter, arguing for a stricter approach and endorsing solutions that physically remove phones from students during instructional time. Several members and the superintendent, Dr. Sarah Hearn, pressed for language that administrators could realistically enforce without overburdening teachers.

Principal Jason Kaneta informed families by email during the discussion that Barnstable High School’s practice has been to prohibit student phone use during instructional time and that he expected a finalized district policy to be enforced starting Aug. 27. The committee’s vote to table means members will return to the issue after more stakeholder outreach and additional drafting; several members urged a districtwide survey and more community meetings before final adoption.

Why it matters: Staff said phone use had become a classroom management and instructional issue during the prior school year; at the same time, several committee members and parents stressed the district must preserve families’ ability to reach students in emergencies and to avoid disproportionate impacts on certain student groups.

Next steps: The committee asked the policy subcommittee and district staff to gather broader input from families, staff and student representatives, and to return with revised language at a future meeting so the committee can decide whether to adopt a bell‑to‑bell restriction, campus exceptions such as lunch, or a phased implementation with additional supports for enforcement.