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Winchester High committee recommends class-to-class device policy after yearlong review
Summary
A committee convened by Principal Mahoney recommended a class-to-class (not bell-to-bell) personal device policy for Winchester High School after surveys of staff, students and families and eight meetings; the school committee heard the report but did not vote, and implementation details remain under discussion.
Winchester School Committee members heard a report July 24 from a committee convened to update Winchester High School’s cell phone expectations and recommended a class-to-class policy rather than a bell-to-bell ban.
The committee, led by Principal Mahoney, said it convened 13 members — four students, five staff, three parents and the principal — met eight times from April to June and reviewed data, practices in other districts and feedback from more than 500 students, roughly 500 families and a majority of staff respondents.
The recommendation was for a class-to-class approach: students would turn phones into secured boxes or pouches when they enter each classroom and would be allowed to use devices between periods and during lunch. The committee emphasized medical exemptions and exceptions for documented device-based instructional needs, and recommended purchasing classroom storage boxes so the…
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