Seventeen Massachusetts school districts will share more than $625,000 to support policies keeping students off their phones from the beginning of the school day to dismissal, Attorney General Andrea Campbell announced Oct. 27.
The awards are worth up to $50,000 per recipient, with amounts varying by enrollment. The money can buy lockable phone storage or technology limiting device access, train staff, support communication with families and collect data on school climate, student engagement and device use.
Recipients include Amesbury, Dartmouth, East Longmeadow, Fitchburg, Leominster, New Bedford, Northampton, Quincy and Sharon, as well as Cape Cod Regional Technical High School and the Whitman-Hanson and Pentucket regional districts. The attorney general's announcement lists all 17 recipients.
Districts were judged on proposed policies covering the full school day, how closely those policies followed the attorney general's Phone Free Schools Toolkit, and other criteria. Translation and accessibility work are also eligible expenses.
Families should check with their own district for its specific rules and storage arrangements.