West Milford schools tighten cell-phone use in classrooms, launch community book studies

Superintendent Dr. Brian Kitchen and Assistant Superintendent Dan Novak told viewers the West Milford Township Public School District has updated Policy 5516 on electronic communication devices to reduce phone distractions in high‑school academic spaces. Under the change, students will be asked to keep phones put away during class; teachers may provide a classroom 'pocket chart' where students who need to surrender phones can place them during instruction. Novak said the approach mirrors practices already used at the middle‑school level and aims to improve learning conditions.

The leaders linked the policy shift to research on phone‑based childhood impacts and Novak cited material used at the district’s Digital Citizenship Night. To broaden community engagement around student wellness, the district also announced two year‑long community book studies: The Anxious Generation and Flooded. Administrators, staff, board members and families are invited to participate in the studies, which district leaders said will inform social‑emotional supports that pair with the revised phone rules.

Dr. Kitchen said policies and board materials are available via the district’s BoardDocs site, and Novak encouraged families to consult the searchable policy pages online for the full text of Policy 5516. The district did not provide a date for when enforcement would begin beyond the start of the school year; Novak said faculty will be trained and students transitioning from middle school should be familiar with similar procedures already in place at MacKippin School.

The next steps described were implementation by school staff and further communication to families; no formal vote or board action was announced during the broadcast.