17 districts awarded state funds to facilitate ‘phone-free learning’

Seventeen Massachusetts school districts have been awarded state grants to facilitate “phone-free learning,” according to Attorney General Andrea Campbell’s office.

After opening applications for the Phone Free School Support Grant program in May, a total of $625,000 was awarded to 17 districts, Campbell’s office announced.

“Young people are facing a mental health crisis driven in large part by the constant use of their cellphones and social media. During the school day, kids deserve to be able to set those distractions aside and focus on learning and building relationships with their peers,” Campbell said in a statement. “We’ve heard from schools across the state how phone-free policies have improved students’ focus and connection.”

Massachusetts school officials “have reported that cellphones and social media are driving classroom distractions, shortened attention spans, increased anxiety, negative peer interactions, and more frequent cyberbullying, harassment, and hate incidents,” the announcement said. Schools with phone-free policies “are seeing increased student focus, improved peer relationships, and reductions in cyberbullying.”

The recipients can use the grant to pay for phone storage materials, technology that limits access to devices, staff training, community education, accessibility, and program evaluation, including data collection, the AG said.

School districts receiving the phone-free grants:

• Amesbury Public Schools 
• Cape Cod Regional Technical High School 
• Dartmouth Public School 
• Douglas Public Schools 
• East Longmeadow Public Schools 
• Essex North Shore Agricultural & Technical School District 
• Fitchburg Public Schools 
• Harvard Public Schools 
• Lenox Public Schools 
• Leominster Public Schools 
• New Bedford Public Schools 
• North Brookfield Public Schools 
• Northampton Public Schools 
• Pentucket Regional School District 
• Quincy Public Schools 
• Sharon Public Schools,   
• Whitman-Hanson Regional School District