Connecticut
As more school districts consider cell phone restrictions, Waterbury rolls out new policy
More school leaders are considering restricting cell phones in the classroom.
It comes after the state recently urged districts to come up with rules for the devices.
Students in Waterbury are already joining the list of communities where access to cell phones is limited, and it seems to have been met with mixed reaction.
“There’s benefits, but there’s there’s ups and downs,” Imaje Pitt, a Kenney High sophomore, said.
Students in Waterbury began the new year with a new policy that requires cell phones to be locked up in a pouch for the day at the middle and high schools.
“Nobody was OK with it. Like at all. Everyone was like, ‘No, I don’t want to put my phone in this,’” Jayleyah Harris, a Kennedy High sophomore, said.
Students were missing the devices and everything they use them for, but they were also seeing the positives like not having the distraction in class and connecting with others.
“To see people who were like interacting with each other where they were like, I don’t know. People were making new friends,” Pitt said.
There’s also a learning curve for parents, according to the interim superintendent.
“It’s kind of reteaching parents how to contact their child during the school day, which is through the main office,” Dr. Darren Schwartz, the Waterbury Public Schools interim superintendent, said.
“The reality is that also, you know, texting and using the phone during a real emergency actually could be putting their child in danger. And so removing that opportunity for students is actually going to make them safer in many cases,” he continued.
Waterbury joins districts around the state finding ways to limit access, including in Hartford and Ellington. Now, it appears other communities are taking action.
This comes after Governor Lamont last week urged schools statewide to come up with rules to restrict the use in classrooms to help improve learning and mental wellbeing.
“I think at this point virtually every board in the state has started a conversation or will be doing so,” Patrice McCarthy, Connecticut Association of Boards of Education executive director, said.
Those talks can take a while and it’s suggested everyone gets involved. Potential solutions can range from pouches to just leaving a cell phone in a designated area in class.
VESTAL, NY (WBNG) — In a second straight doubleheader Saturday following up a Bearcats women’s win, the Bearcats men’s team dropped their second consecutive home game, 84-67 to Central Connecticut State.
In a closely contested matchup early on, the Bearcats stayed in it heading into the break only trailing by seven points.
In the second half, Binghamton brought it to within four points before the Blue Devils pulled away once again and went on an 11-0 run and went up by as much as 20 points.
Darin Smith Jr. finished with a game high, 23 points for the Blue Devils.
The Bearcats were without center, Demetrius Lilley which led to junior forward, Zyier Beverly, having an increased role.
Beverly led Binghamton with 21 points and five rebounds.
After back-to-back losses at home, the Bearcats now go on the road for a three game road stretch starting on Wednesday, Dec. 17 against Pittsburgh at 7p.m.
Copyright 2025 WBNG. All rights reserved.
New Canaan faces Cheshire in the 2025 Connecticut high school Class L football state championship on Saturday afternoon.
The game begins at 4 p.m. EST on Saturday, Dec. 13, at Veterans Stadium in New Britain, Connecticut.
The game will stream live on the NFHS Network.
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What: Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference (CIAC) Class L football championship
Who: New Canaan vs. Cheshire
When: Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025
Where: Veterans Stadium in New Britain, Connecticut
Time: 4 p.m. EST
Stream: NFHS Network
Tickets: $11,50
Record, MaxPrep state rankings: New Canaan 12-0, No. 1; Cheshire 9-3, No. 11
Here’s more information about the game from the Hartford Courant, via the Tribune News Service:
New Canaan is going for its 16th state title and fourth straight under veteran coach Lou Marinelli and New Canaan outscored its playoff opponents, 85-13. Cheshire’s last finals appearance was 2009, when coach Don Drust was an assistant for the Rams’ team, which beat Staples in overtime to win a Class LL title. Cheshire rallied from a 19-point deficit against Fairfield Ludlowe to win the Class L quarterfinal game and beat Ridgefield 21-0 in the semifinals. QB Aiden Gregorich’s pass to Liam Suomala proved to be the game-winning touchdown with 10 seconds left in the quarterfinal.
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Have you still seen a lot of mini-liquor bottles, littering the streets in Connecticut?
Members of one environmental group said they still see them, and believe a ban is the best way to solve a multi-tiered problem.
State data shows in the past 12 months, ending September 30, there were more than 93 million mini-liquor bottles sold in our state.
The group supporting local bans says it’s not just the litter, but also the fact mini-liquor bottles are easy to conceal and consume on the job, in the car, or at school.
The group “Connecticut Towns Nixing the Nip” met this week, working on strategies to get a legislative hearing on the issue in the upcoming 2026 session.
Right now, stores collect a 5-cent surcharge for every mini-liquor bottle sold, resulting in about $5 million annually for town and city environmental cleanup efforts.
Town funding from nip sales
Average revenue per year 2021 to 2025.
“Having talked to a number of towns, well a few towns, they like the money, said Tom Metzner, a member of the group. “It’s fairly broad in how it can be used. It’s environmental. It doesn’t have to be used for cleaning up nips. And so the towns have become somewhat silent on the issue of banning nips.”
The group cited Chelsea, Massachusetts, where minis are banned, both litter and alcohol related EMS calls decreased.
The Wine and Spirits Wholesalers of Connecticut, which devised the “nickel per nip” program, said banning the mini-liquor bottles would be unprecedented.
Instead, it said the environmental group should be challenging municipalities to prove they actually use the money for cleanup.
Legislative leaders suggested several years ago the way to really do this is to have a redemption program for mini liquor bottles, and now, that could be possible.
At least one state with the Clynk bottle collection program has redeemed mini-liquor bottles for cash.
The company just announced a major expansion in our state, but it told us it is not aware of a redemption program for mini-liquor bottles here any time soon.
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