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Parents, clinicians urge Winchester schools to ban personal phones during school day
Summary
Multiple parents, pediatric clinicians and teachers told the Winchester School Committee during public comment that personal smartphones and other devices are harming student attention, social development and classroom behavior and urged a K–12 "bell to bell" ban.
Dozens of parents, clinicians and teachers addressed the Winchester School Committee on June 12 during the meeting’s public-comment period, urging the district to adopt a K–12 ban on personal devices during the school day.
Speakers said the constant presence of phones is distracting students and exposing them to inappropriate content, and argued the school system can protect students by removing devices from classrooms. "These kids need space. They need space to interact with their peers face to face, to learn in a safe environment, and to just be kids," said Alyssa Barris, a parent with children at Ambrose Elementary. "A strong, consistent, no personal device policy from K through high school is one of the kindest and most protective things that we can do for our kids."
The comment period included medical and public-health perspectives. Primary-care physician Azmina Bayani cited national research and a 2023 randomized trial, and quoted the 2024 U.S. surgeon general’s guidance: "Schools should ensure that classroom learning and social time are phone free experiences," Bayani said. Pediatric nurse practitioner Lynn Caldwell said schools that have implemented phone bans reported improvements in behavior and classroom participation.
Why this matters: Committee members and parents said the issue touches classroom instruction, student mental health and academic integrity. Several parents described students who feel compelled to check group chats and social apps; one commenter said the presence of phones has made academic cheating more accessible. Several speakers asked the committee to give the policy subcommittee time over the summer to develop proposals and to align any policy changes with principal-level student-handbook edits.
What the committee said: Chair remarks at the meeting noted that device policy was not on the evening’s agenda but that the policy subcommittee plans to address the topic over the summer and that student handbooks (which come from principals) are another route for change. Committee members who spoke in the meeting thanked the parents for their testimony and said they expect the subcommittee to consider a range of options.
Next steps: The committee’s policy subcommittee will draft options over the summer and bring them to the full committee for deliberation. Speakers asked that the district communicate early with families about any proposed changes and their implementation timeline so students and parents can prepare.
