Attorney general pitches school cellphone ban to Mass. superintendents

Could a ban on cell phones in Massachusetts schools improve the state’s education? It’s a theory that Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell wants to try, and she’s bringing it straight to some of the top educators Thursday.

Campbell introduced the Study Act less than a week ago, an acronym that stands for “Safe Technology Use and Distraction-free education Youth.” If the act were to become law, it could create a “bell-to-bell” ban on cell phones in every school district in the state.

Campbell is meeting with superintendents at the Royal Plaza Hotel in Marlborough on Thursday to further her push to get the act passed. Her office tells NBC10 Boston that she will be presenting what she calls the “cell phones and social media in schools toolkit” — essentially customized policies for districts to navigate the challenges of having phones, tablets, or any other electronic device in their learning environments.

With some school districts restricting the use of cellphones by students while in class, Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell is looking to make a change across Massachusetts.

This comes at a time when more schools in Massachusetts are deciding to place bans on phones.

Just this year, the state’s largest high school in Brockton began restricting the use of cell phones. Students put their phones in locked pouches for the day but can still get at them in the event of an emergency.

“It wasn’t just to confiscate phones, it was really to place the emphasis back on education. Too many distractions with the phones, and we saw a drop in student performance, engagement levels were low,” Brockton High School Principal Kevin McCaskill said. “By really creating this cellphone-free environment, it really opened up a new world for us ”

According to a study by the Pew Research Center, 72% of U.S. high school teachers said cellphone distraction is a major problem in the classroom.