Times Argus: Phone-free plan won't leave MRPS students to their own devices

Montpelier Roxbury School Board

By David Delcore Staff Writer

Apr 3, 2025

Original Times Argus article here.

MONTPELIER — There could be bumps on the road in implementing a plan that, with limited exceptions, will require students in Montpelier Roxbury Public Schools to surrender their cellphones, and other personal devices, at the start of each school day, however, there was nothing but support for the concept Wednesday night.

A months-long process spearheaded by Montpelier High School Principal Jason Gingold yielded a plan Superintendent Libby Bonesteel told an appreciative school board will be implemented, in some fashion district-wide, this fall.

During a meeting that began with several parents speaking in favor of a proposal they argued was overdue, Gingold outlined the plan he predicted will be a learning experience — for administrators, staff, students and caregivers. It’s one, he said, that can be adjusted on the fly if needed, though he didn’t foresee backtracking on a proposal aimed at separating students from their cellphones while school is in session.

Blame inconsistent enforcement of the high school’s existing “away for the day” policy, and students’ inability to self-regulate by following the rules, for the stricter stand reflected in a plan that was inspired by one now in place at Harwood Union High School.

The Harwood School Board voted last year to pivot to a phone-free campus based on compelling research that suggest phones, and other devices, are at best a tempting distraction, and at worst detrimental to mental health and social development.

Early returns from Harwood report favorable results — both academically and in terms of increased social interaction.

Gingold said he isn’t surprised, and while he was tempted to follow Harwood’s lead — and the prodding of some parents — last year, he opted to take a beat, and engage students, staff, and caregivers in a process with the goal of making a carefully considered change this fall.

Seven months, several meetings, a few surveys later, Gingold rolled out a plan he believes is right for the high school, and Bonesteel told board members it would be tweaked for Main Street Middle School, and, if needed, for Union Elementary School.

It’s one that enjoyed the board’s broad backing Wednesday night, even as Gingold acknowledged the challenges associated with implementation.

“This will be hard for a lot of people,” he said, suggesting it will be a challenge for some — possibly many, or even most — to slip their phones into envelopes with their names on them when they enter the high school each morning and, in most cases, not get them back until the end of the day.“I don’t expect it to be the most popular decision,” he said. “I’m sure there will be pushback … and that’s OK.”

Gingold said communication will be key, and he’s not talking about text messages.

A community forum to discuss the new rules with caregivers and students is set for 5:30 p.m. on Monday in the high school library, and a letter to caregiver outlining expectations for the coming school year will be sent to caregivers in May or June. “I really don’t want anyone to be surprised by this,” he said.

Some, including the parents who spoke Wednesday night are tuned in, others are vaguely aware, but Gingold said clearly communicating expectations and consequences will make implementation easier.

There are some exceptions to the new rules. Students for whom phones are medically necessary to monitor pre-existing conditions will be permitted to keep them in envelopes in their backpacks or purses. Those whose schedules allow, or require, them to leave campus can take their phones with them when they go, but will be required to turn them back in when they return.

Tablets, smartwatches, bluetooth devices will all be off limits during the school day, and while Gingold said an exception may be made for personal laptops, it could require students use the ones issued by the school.

While Montpelier’s plan is similar to Harwood’s, he opted to skip the expense of investing $25,000 in pouches with magnetic locks that enable students to keep their phones with them, without being able to use them. The envelope system, along with some carts and milk crates should work, and the biggest logistical challenge will involve handing out phones at the end of the day when most of the school’s 415 students are dismissed at the same time.

In order to expedite student departure, Gingold said there will be one line for freshman and sophomores, and another for juniors and seniors. He also outlined a graduated enforcement plan that would executed by school administrators.

“We really don’t want teachers to have to own this,” he said.

That sounded good to board members like Jill Remick and Scott Lewins. On a night when it was widely agreed the current rules are inconsistently enforced, and frequently ignored, both agreed system that would allow teachers to focus solely on teaching was a positive step.

Gingold agreed, while noting it will likely take practice optimizing the system, that exercise will understandably be “messy,” and the end result, will almost certainly be flawed in some respects.

“It won’t be perfect,” he said, predicting it will be better for all involved.

Gingold got no argument Wednesday night.

Not from parents, like Rima Carlson and Liza Earle-Centers, who both lobbied for the change and supported plans to implement it in the fall, and not from board members.

Lewins praised Gingold for the “well-executed, participatory process” that led to the proposed change, and School Director Jim Murphy declared it a “job well done.”

“We’ve seen the research,” Murphy said. “Since cell phones became prevalent our kids are suffering and suffering in big ways, and it’s not just classroom distraction.”

Echoing parents who spoke earlier in the evening, Murphy said unfettered use of cell phones at school interfered with their social development, and potentially contributed to feelings of anxiety and isolation.

“For the developing mind, having as much cellphone free time as possible is a huge, huge win,” he said.

Murphy was preaching to the converted.

Carlson, a family physician with two teenage children, said it was hard to ignore research that suggests the spike in mental health issues she’s noticed in adolescents and young adults at work, isn’t linked, at least in part, to the addictive use of cell phones, and the social media world they unlock, she’s seen at home.

“I’m convinced, especially with more recent studies, that phone use and the way (cellphones) are designed are very damaging to the developing brain,” she said.

Carlson wasn’t alone in expressing her support for the plan. She was joined by Earle-Centers, who hailed positive reports from Harwood, Shannon McIntyre, who was heartened to hear the plan to go phone-free will extend to Main Street Middle School, and Nancy Chickering, who shared an emotional personal story that highlighted her belief that cellphones are too often used a vehicle for bullying.

“Cellphones and bullying are a really bad combination,” she said, thanking Gingold for preparing a plan that would prohibit the use of the former while school is in session starting this fall.