A series of stakeholder engagement meetings will take place this month on a proposed policy that would ban students from having cell phones or other personal electronic devices on their person during regular school hours. The stakeholder engagement meetings are designed to get feedback from parents/guardians and staff on the policy before the Board of Public Education votes on it. Separate stakeholder meetings for high school students also are being scheduled by their individual schools.

The Board is expected to hold a first reading on the policy at its May 20 meeting and then vote on it June 10. If approved, the policy would take effect in the upcoming 2025-2026 school year.

The proposed policy states that “students may not have cell phones, smart watches, earbuds, or other personal electronic devices on their person at any time while at school during regular school hours.” Students will be encouraged to leave their devices at home, when possible. If students do bring devices to school, there will be a process in place for the school to collect and safely store student devices at the start of each day and return them after classes end. Exceptions to this no-cell-phone policy will be very limited, and would only be granted in such cases as a personal device being required for documented health reasons.

The Board’s Curriculum and Policy Committee voted unanimously at its April 15 meeting to recommend the policy to the full Board. The policy has support from Phone-Free Portland Schools, a group of parents and educators advocating for a cellphone ban. The group says that “phone-free schools support not only academic achievement and focus, but also social development, resilience, improved mental health, and the face-to-face connections that our students desperately need.”

The Board’s current policy on cell phones says that all personal electronic devices must be turned off or silenced and out of sight during the school day at all school levels, but high schoolers can use electronic devices between class periods and during lunch.

However, student cell phone infractions can occur on a regular basis, and many staff believe that cellphones have a negative impact on the learning environment, presenting a significant challenge to instruction.

The first stakeholder engagement meeting for parents/guardians and staff is a virtual meeting scheduled for Wednesday, May 7, from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. Here is the joining link: Tinyurl.com/CellPhones57. A series of in-person meetings will follow, with the first in-person meeting on Thursday, May 8, from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Deering High School.

Below, and in the attached graphic, is a complete list of the stakeholder engagement meetings for parents/guardians and staff. Please note that the May 28 in-person meeting at King Middle School is especially geared for multilingual families, with interpreters provided.

●      May 7, 6-7 p.m., virtual (Tinyurl.com/CellPhones57)

●      May 8, 6-7 p.m., Deering High School

●      May 15, 6-7 p.m., Portland High School

●      May 27, 6-7 p.m., Casco Bay High School

●      May 28, 5:30-7 p.m., King Middle School (interpreters available)