Pioneer Valley Regional School Shares Cell Phone Policy

We are grateful that Pioneer Valley Regional School District has shared their cell phone policy resources freely for other schools to reference, adopt, or adapt. Their policy has been widely seen as successful.

One 9th grade student shared, “I’ve been going to this school since 8th grade, so I was here before and after the school changed the rules to be totally phone-free, and I feel like there’s so much more interaction between students now than there was before.  I’ve even had a bunch of friends say that their grades went up once they didn’t have their phones in school.  I know some kids are saying they want to be able to reach their parents, but I think it could be a crutch – almost like an unhealthy addiction.”

Cell Phone Policy: This is the district’s final policy, approved on June 6, 2024. The policy states that “The Pioneer Valley Regional School District seeks to provide students with a school environment that promotes academic focus, student well-being, and joy in our shared experience as learners. To help our schools achieve this environment, the School Committee directs that students not have access to personal electronic devices during the school day. The School Committee further directs that the Superintendent create guidelines for the use of personal electronic devices at other times, including bus transportation and school-sponsored events.

Policy Subcommittee’s Slideshow to School Committee: This is the Policy Subcommittee’s presentation to the School Committee (given on May 23, 2024, 2 weeks before the policy was approved) outlining the research they conducted and their recommendation for the new policy.

District Update Before First Reading: This update was shared with the school community and towns in the district’s newsletter on May 20, 2024 (before the proposed policy was brought to School Committee) that provides additional information about the policy change.

District Update Before Second Reading: This is an update that was shared with the school community and towns in the district’s newsletter on June 4, 2024 (just before the policy was approved) that provides additional information about the policy change.

Review of and Response to Student Concerns: The Director of Technology compiled all of the concerns that had been brought by students to the School Committee regarding loss of access to cell phones  during the school day, and provided responses to each of them.

For additional questions about the policy or their process in creating the policy, please contact Superintendent Patricia Kinsella (kinsellap@pvrsdk12.org), Principal Annie Scanlan-Emigh (scanlanemigha@pvrsdk12.org), or School Committee Policy Subcommittee Chair Melissa Gerry (gerrym@pvrsdk12.org).

Massachusetts Attorney General Releases Toolkit of Cell Phones and Social Media in Schools

The Office of Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Campbell, with support from the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, recently released: Cell Phones and Social Media in Schools: A Toolkit for School Leaders and Communities. The toolkit discusses three types of policies that restrict cell phone use, offers guidance for developing community norms on cell phone and social media use outside of school hours, and includes digital media literacy topics and strategies.

The Attorney General also introduced the STUDY Act, SD654/HD3070 An Act promoting Safe Technology Use and Distraction-free education for Youth. This bill would implement a “bell-to-bell” restriction on access to cell phones and personal electronic devices during school hours to improve the overall learning environment and school culture. It also proposes standards for social media companies that encourage safe and responsible use. 

Phone Free Schools Legislation for MA

Legislation has just been filed in the Massachusetts Senate and House requiring all schools in Massachusetts (K-12) to implement bell-to-bell (all day) phone and social media free policies.  The Massachusetts Teachers Association, Education Secretary, and Attorney General have all come out in support. For more information about this legislation, see this Briefing Doc with FAQs, for relevant statistics see this Infographic from Phone-Free Schools Movement, and to sign your name or agency in support of this bill click for this Community Support Letter.

Infographic with Statistics about the impact of phones in schools.
From Phone-Free Schools Movement, 2024

Away for the Day

“Away For The Day” is a movement giving parents, teachers, community leaders, and concerned individuals tools so that they can go to your school and help institute policies where devices are put away all day at school in lockers, backpacks, or turned in.

Coalition Releases 2024 Community Action Plan

We released our newly updated Community Action Plan on October 27, 2023, at the Fall Full Coalition Meeting. The plan will guide our work until we formally update it again in 2026. The new plan strengthens the Coalition’s vision, mission, values, and strategies to reflect our commitment to social justice for all. Each of our 5 workgroups (Grand Rising, Parent & Family Engagement, Policy and Norms, School Health, and the NEW Community Supports for Young People Workgroup) has updated their goals, their membership, and the strategies they focus on.  The Community Action Plan is constantly evolving, and we always welcome your input! Check out the new 2024 Community Action Plan

Regional Snapshot of How Franklin County and North Quabbin Schools are Advancing Racial Justice

On June 9, 2022, the Communities That Care Coalition released a report, How Franklin County and North Quabbin Schools are Advancing Racial Justice. Leigh-Ellen Figueroa presented a slideshow summary at the Coalition’s Biannual Meeting at Greenfield High School. The report is based on interviews with 41 key school personnel from all nine local public school districts, including administrators, teachers, counselors, nurses, and students. The report identifies strengths, challenges, needs, recommendations, action steps, and resources.

Please contact Leigh-Ellen (LFigueroa “at” frcog.org) for more information.

You can view and download the report below.

Inclusiveness Checklist

We wanted to share this nice resource from the JSS School Council. This was designed to help make sure that anyone planning an event had some guidance in thinking about all the different ways to make school community events more inclusive. Please feel free to take and adapt this form for your own purposes!