Overview:
The Athol-Royalston Regional School Committee has approved a policy that bans students from using cell phones during the school day. The policy follows a bill passed by the Massachusetts state Senate that would require all public school districts to implement cell phone-free policies by fall 2026. The policy is designed to improve student focus and mental health by creating cell phone-free learning environments. Exceptions would be allowed for students with medical conditions, disabilities or individualized education plans.
ATHOL – The Athol-Royalston Regional School Committee has approved a policy banning student use of cell phones during the school day.
The decision, made at the committee’s Aug. 20 meeting, follows a broader effort in Massachusetts to limit device distractions in schools. The state Senate passed legislation on July 31, 2025, that would require all public school districts to implement cell phone-free policies by fall 2026. The bill still needs approval from the House and Gov. Maura Healey.
Information from malegislature.gov states that the bill is designed to improve student focus and mental health by creating cell phone-free learning environments. If enacted, it would require districts to provide annual policy updates to families by Sept. 1 beginning in 2026, while also maintaining a method for parent-student communication and emergency contact.
Exceptions would be allowed for students with medical conditions, disabilities or individualized education plans.
Athol Royalston Superintendent Matthew Ehrenworth introduced the district’s policy, emphasizing the goal of promoting “academic focus, student well-being, and joy in our shared experience as learners.”
The policy, as read at the meeting, directs that “students not have access to personal electronic devices during school hours” and that the superintendent is to “create guidelines for device use at other times, including bus transportation and at school-sponsored events.”
The committee formally accepted the policy, waiving the third reading. Ehrenworth said additional information on implementation will be shared in the coming weeks. A start date for the ban has not yet been finalized.
High school project updates
The committee also discussed funding for a feasibility study for a potential new school building. Athol-Royalston Regional School District School Committee member Lee Chauvette noted that the district had expected to have more detailed information on the study process, but shared what is currently known.
He said the total local share of the study’s cost has been reduced from $1.6 million to approximately $1.35 million, and that Athol-Royalston’s portion, about $270,000, could likely be covered through existing district funds.
“We are at the point right now where we’re pretty certain that we will be able to fund the portion required for the towns out of our own budget, which would not require a town meeting vote,” Chauvette said, citing Massachusetts General Law.
“People think that if we vote on the feasibility study today, then next Monday we’ll build the school. It doesn’t work that way.”
Lee Chauvette
He added that the district hopes to use excess and deficiency (E&D) funds once certified.
“We really feel that exercising our right under Mass General Law to do it this way would simply position us to not have to go to the taxpayers’ pockets at this point in time, but still acquire the information that we need to give transparent and educated information to the voters of both towns as we move forward into the building process,” Chauvette added.
Chauvette stated that the study is expected to take 18 months to two years and reassured residents that approving it does not mean construction will begin immediately.
“We’re probably not looking to even hit the tax rate for five or six years after that,” he said. “People think that if we vote on the feasibility study today, then next Monday we’ll build the school. It doesn’t work that way.”
Ehrenworth noted that other debt obligations are scheduled to fall off the district’s books as new debt service is added.
