BELCHERTOWN — Belchertown Public Schools may join Hampshire Regional High School in adopting “bell-to-bell” bans on cellphones for the 2026-2027 school year.
School Committee member Jake Hulseberg, who has spearheaded the effort to ban phones in schools since August 2024, said the policy will reduce distractions during school hours, benefit student mental health and encourage face-to-face socialization.
“Policies that only limit phone use during class time often fall short for younger grades because it only addresses academic outcomes,” Hulseberg said. “Whereas all-day policies promote the success of the child; it encourages real connections at lunch and in the hallway.”
Under the policy, phones and digital accessories like smartwatches and Bluetooth-connected headphones are to be shut off, stored away and inaccessible from the first bell to the last of the school day. The ban does not apply during after-school activities or sports. Students who use their cellphones to manage a health condition may still access their device, but only for health-related purposes. Administrators of each building will decide procedures for enforcement, phone storage and disciplinary measures for infractions.
High school students are excluded from the policy because older students start to establish their independence and skills to manage cellphone use, Hulseberg said.
“Let’s communicate to everybody below eighth grade that this is our rule,” he added.
“As you get older, maturity kicks in and the rules should become more flexible based on the experts working with that age group.”
Hampshire Regional High School is the only other school in Hampshire County with a bell-to-bell cellphone ban. Hampshire Regional Superintendent Vito Perrone previously told the Gazette that he’s noticed students were far more chatty during lunch after the school began piloting “Yondr” magnetic pouches to store phones. Other districts, like Northampton Public Schools, prohibit cellphone use during instructional hours but do not lock away phones.
The proposal comes as the state considers a statewide school cellphone ban for K-12 students. The Senate-proposed bill, “An Act to Promote Student Learning and Mental Health,” (S.2561), requires all public school districts to approve a bell-to-bell ban on personal electric devices before the beginning of the 2026-2027 academic year, but local school committees can tailor the ban to fit their students’ needs. The legislation remains in the House Ways and Means Committee.
In his explanation for the policy, Hulseberg cites data on social media’s detriment to mental health and academic performance. Schools should take a “safety-first approach” to personal electronic devices until data shows these devices are not harmful for children.
“This was the first generation to go through puberty with the entire internet in their pocket,” Hulseberg said. “In my opinion, the data shows that kids are more anxious, depressed, more likely to self-harm and more likely to die by suicide than any other generation before them.”
School Committee Vice Chair Ruby Bansal pointed out that most of the data Hulseberg cited relates to social media. One study from London-based Lancet Regional Health found total student cellphone use did not change in schools with bans, but rather shifted to outside school hours.
“I heard you say social media a lot, and I don’t disagree with what you’re saying about social media, but this isn’t a policy about social media, it’s a policy about phones,” she said.
Jabish Brook Middle School already has a bell-to-bell ban in place, but School Committee Chair Heidi Gutkenst said the school’s enforcement is inconsistent. Students sneak their phones into the bathroom, text their parents to bring forgotten items or turn in nonworking phones to teachers instead.
“I think the big concern is following up on what we do if teachers aren’t enforcing all of this,” she said.
The School Committee is slated to vote on the policy at its next meeting, Tuesday, March 10 at 6 p.m.