School committee creates advisory panel on student cell phone use after counselor urges 'bell‑to‑bell' restriction

The Watertown School Committee announced creation of an advisory committee to study student cell phone use in schools after a public commenter urged a districtwide “bell‑to‑bell” restriction during public forum.

The advisory committee will meet March through May to examine existing research, collect stakeholder input and evaluate options; it will deliver a recommendation to the committee in June 2025. If the committee votes to change policy, the district said it would seek to adopt policy language in June and implement any changes in September 2025.

During public forum, a school counselor who identified herself as a Brooklyn High School counselor and the parent of students in Watertown said “Watertown Public Schools have an opportunity to take bold, research‑based steps to improve student well‑being, engagement, and academic success” and argued that “a bell to bell cell phone restriction would help reclaim schools as spaces for focus, interpersonal connection, and growth.” The speaker described 26 years of experience as a school counselor and cited increased anxiety, social isolation and attention deficits among adolescents since the arrival of smartphones.

Committee discussion focused on process and scope. The superintendent noted the district has received a toolkit from Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Campbell’s office and that legislation has been proposed at the state level; the superintendent and committee members said local policy work could proceed now and be adjusted if state law is later enacted. Committee members asked that meeting times be accessible to working parents and that the committee explicitly examine two strands of evidence: impacts on student health and impacts on instruction and classroom goals.

The proposed advisory committee will include educators, students, parents, school administrators, one school committee member, and a community member with subject knowledge. Meetings are scheduled for March, April and May with a final recommendation due in June 2025.

Committee members also discussed outreach: several asked that meeting times accommodate working parents and that parents be explicitly invited to serve on the advisory committee. The superintendent said she would circulate an application and a parent‑friendly meeting schedule.

The committee framed the effort as exploratory, separating research and stakeholder input from any immediate policy change; committee members said any formal policy would return to the policy subcommittee for review and a full committee vote.