Parents, students and administrators debate proposed phone rule for Wakefield Memorial High School

Parents, a Wakefield Memorial High School student and school leaders pressed the Wakefield School Committee on Tuesday over a proposed update to the high school handbook that would require cell phones to be kept “off and away” during the academic day.

The public comment came from Anne Herzog, a parent of current and former WMHS students, and her daughter Mikaela Herzog, a rising senior, who said the proposed rule could harm students who rely on phones for communication, medical needs or as assistive technology. School officials, including Principal Amy McLeod (joining by Zoom) and Superintendent Douglas “Doug” Lyons, described the draft language and said the administration plans to bring handbook language to the committee this summer for a formal vote in August.

The issue matters because parents and students said devices serve as accommodations and safety tools. “Students with disabilities rely on smart phones and other devices to assist them with communication, medical needs, scheduling, note taking, calming techniques, and more,” Anne Herzog said, citing federal protections under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act. She urged the district to consult disability stakeholders and await guidance the state may issue if Massachusetts Senate Bill 323 becomes law.

Principal Amy McLeod said the high school faculty worked this year to revise classroom practice and handbook language after noting inconsistency in the building and continuing classroom disruptions. The administration’s draft would require phones to be off and stored (for example, in backpacks, bags or lockers) from the start of the academic day (07:30) until the end (02:10), with exceptions for lunchtime and for specific, teacher-authorized educational uses such as media projects. McLeod described a progressive discipline approach: warnings, conversations, administrator involvement and, for repeated incidents, confiscation to the main office where phones would be kept “safe.” Teams would continue to accommodate students with IEPs, 504 plans or medical needs so those students could access devices as necessary.

Student speaker Mikaela Herzog asked the committee to consider a senior privilege for the Class of 2026 so graduating students could document their final year and practice independent device management before college. Anne Herzog and Mikaela also raised concerns about the timing of handbook changes during the summer and said the district should solicit broader student and family feedback; Anne Herzog noted a June 19 Boston Globe article describing a separate special-education placement case and said the district should ensure no students are left without services.

Superintendent Lyons and Principal McLeod said the district intends to finalize handbook language in summer and bring the handbook to the committee for a vote in August. McLeod emphasized the faculty’s goal of consistency across classrooms, fewer disruptions for teachers, and preserving necessary exceptions for instructional and medical reasons. The administration also said it will coordinate implementation with special-education teams to maintain legal accommodations.

The committee offered no formal decision on the handbook at the meeting; members were briefed and the item will return for a formal vote later this summer.

The discussion highlighted competing priorities—classroom instructional time and student safety and accommodations—and speakers asked the district to engage students, families and disability advocates before finalizing the policy.