By Polly Mikula
Vermont lawmakers have introduced a bill to ban cell phones and other electronic devices in public and independent schools from the start of the school day until dismissal — often called bell-to-bell — and prohibits schools from using social media to communicate with students. The bill, H.54, is intended to reduce the burden on teachers and improve student learning.
If passed, the provisions would take effect in stages starting July 1, 2025. Full device restrictions and enforcement are expected no later than Dec. 1, 2025.
The bill does not dictate the methods that schools would use to implement a phone-free policy.
If passed, Vermont would join eight states (California, Florida, Indiana, Louisiana, Minnesota, Ohio, South Carolina and Virginia) that have already enacted statewide policies limiting or banning cellphones in schools, and many others, including Massachusetts and New York, are moving in that direction.
“The vast majority of our teachers do believe that the smartphones are interfering with teaching and learning time, and some also cite increases from their experience in student misbehavior due to due to the use of phones in the learning environment,” said principal of Woodstock Union High School/Middle School Aaron Cinquemani at the Mountain Views Supervisory Union board meeting, Monday, Feb. 3. Cinquemani sited a recent UNC Chapel Hill study the school participated in where 94% of teachers said they believe smart devices are detrimental in the classroom, with 84% reporting being distracted by student phone use.
“In general, staff feel pretty burned out about cell phones,” Cinquemani told the board. “They’ve had these conversations for years with me, and with the previous principal. They’ve been through the student surveys and student input in the past… They’re pretty much done with the conversation, and they’re looking forward to a change.”
“When I shared that, I wanted to take a step back, to really include student voices, to meet students where they are and have this conversation — not whether or not we’re doing this, but how we’re going to do this — staff in general, were reasonably appreciative. You know, they want to hear student voice as well, but they’re really burned out about cell phones and having to police cell phones in classrooms and so on.”
Cinquemani was named principal for Woodstock Union middle and high schools at a special MVSU board meeting Jan. 16. He had been acting as the schools’ interim principal. Woodstock Middle/High school serves students in seven towns: Barnard, Bridgewater, Killington, Plymouth, Pomfret, Reading and Woodstock.
About a third of the student body — 114 students— also participated in the UNC survey, which provided key insights into student device usage, its impact on learning and mental health, as well as staff perceptions. Results showed that 83% reported that they bring their phones to school daily, and 79% said they use them for non-class purposes during school hours. Additionally, 29% admitted to using phones when they should be paying attention.
These findings are “things that we suspected, but it’s also great to hear directly from the students that participated in the in the survey,” said Cinquemani. “The data here validates our experience.”
MVSU process: ‘slow and steady’
“Recognizing the importance of cover-communicating and involving all stakeholders, we have taken several steps to engage students, staff and families in this initiative,” Cinquemani wrote in an outline on phone-free learning progress that he shared at the Feb. 3 board meeting.
Such efforts have included hosting three community forums to discuss the impact and gather feedback, facilitating a student debate on cell phone-free learning at Killington this fall (about 65 students participated), establishing a student-led cell phone-free learning committee (about 14 students participate), conducting a data review and discussion in advisory to ensure students understand the rationale behind the policy, and having ongoing discussions on implementation and enforcement at staff meetings, he explained.
Given the MVSU policy conversations over the past few months and those happening at the state level with Bill H.54 gaining traction, Cinquemani believes changes are coming to help students and teachers achieve a more focused learning environment.
“The legislation is coming. That’s very clear,” he said. “If I’m asked to testify, which I have been asked to consider, I’d really like to speak about the process. I’d really like to speak about how we do this at Woodstock High School and Middle School, that we involve student voices, and that we had these conversations. That while they were really hard, we wanted to get something in place that staff and students could implement with fidelity.”
For the time being, Cinquemani said, progress will continue “slow and steady.”
“Our goal remains to empower students to adhere to our current expectations and for staff to consistently enforce them,” Cinquemani wrote.
“Some students struggle with that. Some staff struggle with that as well,” he added at the meeting, Feb. 3.
“If this approach proves effective, we may maintain our current strategy until clearer state guidelines emerge. If not, we will explore implementing Yondr pouches as a next step to support our efforts in fostering a focused, distraction-free learning environment,” he explained.
MVSU has raised $6,000 for Yondr implementation: $5,000 from a local grant, $850 from our participation in the UNC study (students chose to donate $5 to the cause instead of receiving a gift certificate), $100 from general donations. The total cost for Yondr pouches would be $16,000-$18,000 ($30 per pouch with an unlocking base included for every 60-80 purchased).
“Right now, this is an opportunity for the student body to lean in, show the administration teachers what we need to do or not need to do. How strict do we need to be?” Cinquemani asked.
When pushed for a more specific timeline for the next steps, Cinquemani said, “Right around April break, just before or just after. I think that gives us some time to live it a bit, to gather some from some fresh data, and then make an informed decision if we want to move forward with Yonder or if we want to maintain the course or make some slight shifts.”
“I suspect that what we may come up with isn’t all that different from what’s already in the handbook. I suspect the message from both students and teachers will be that everybody needs to lean into this and implement this [the current policy] with fidelity, which means students need to adhere to it and teachers need to follow the expectations as well … I really want students to be able to lean in and say, ‘hey, you know we’re ready. We’re taking this seriously. We want to do this, too, and we need the teachers and adults to help,’ and that means holding the line and holding everybody accountable.”
Current MVSU cell phone policy
Middle School students are expected to refrain from using smartphones, cell phones, smart watches and Bluetooth earbuds/headphones at any time during the school day: 8 a.m. to 2:55 p.m. Seventh and eighth grade students who use a cell phone for any reason during the school day will be expected to turn their phone into the main office where it will be stored securely until 2:55.
For high school students, phones and bluetooth headphones/earbuds must be stored in bags, pockets, or classroom pouches during instructional time (including study hall, advisory and anytime in hallways or bathrooms during class blocks).
High school students may use electronic devices during passing times, lunch, and ARE Time unless they have been called by a teacher for academic support.
For high school students that use digital devices outside of the permitted time, the following enforcement will be implemented:
First, staff will ask you to put the device away immediately.
Second, staff will log the incident and the administrative team or designee will follow up.
Third, the device will be stored with administration or a designee for the day.
Students who have three minor phone incidents in a month (involving phone turned into the office) or a single major phone incident (cyberbullying, privacy violation, etc.) will be required to attend social emotional learning (SEL) sessions about healthy phone habits and digital citizenship. SEL specialists will work with students and their families to create a plan that will help them meet the school’s phone expectations.
For more information on the current cellphone use policies — or any other policies — at Woodstock middle or high school, refer to the student handbook. It’s online at: mtnviews.org/studentfamily-handbooks.
