Hanover School Committee Reviews Cell Phone Policies, Bullying Prevention Efforts
Survey data shows mixed results on current cell phone practices as district awaits potential state legislation
HANOVER - June 11 - The Hanover School Committee discusses updates on cell phone policies and bullying prevention efforts during their June 11 meeting, with plans to revise outdated policies while maintaining local control.
Superintendent Matt Ferron reports that the district's cell phone policy needs a complete overhaul, as the current policy is outdated and doesn't align with current practices in schools.
"JICJ talks about the use of school-related activities, personal electronic communication devices, not limited to cell phones, cameras, laser pointers, goes on to talk about the principal needs to give permission to use a camcorder. It's just an out-of-date policy," Ferron says.
The district conducted surveys of students, parents, and staff about cell phone use in schools, with strong participation rates. At the high school, 93% of students, 83% of faculty, and 34% of parents responded.
High School Principal Matt Mattos reports significant improvement in classroom behavior since implementing more consistent cell phone practices this year.
"We were shocked after a period of about two weeks at how amazingly well the school community adapted to that," Mattos says. "I personally only dealt with less than a dozen teacher discipline referrals for the cell phone policy, which I thought was amazing over the course of an entire school year."
Survey results show that 22% of high school students reported noticeable academic improvement with reduced cell phone use, though 50% reported no impact on their academics.
Middle School Principal Dan Birolini shares that 77% of middle school students report having cell phones, with parents expressing concerns about academic distraction, cyberbullying, and social media addiction.
"The fear that they're missing something is a big thing," Birolini says. "The idea of not having them at all makes a lot of sense to me."
Both principals note that consistency in enforcement is a key concern among teachers and students. Mattos explains that students currently navigate seven different teachers with potentially different interpretations of the policy.
"Sometimes it's difficult for the student to navigate those seven different classroom teachers and their interpretation of the policy," he says.
The committee learns that state legislators are considering bills that would prohibit cell phone use during instructional time. Ferron recommends turning the policy revision over to the policy working group for the fall, when there may be more clarity on state requirements.
"I believe that's, I feel pretty confident that this committee is gonna need to take some, we'll have to deliberate and take some action on a local control basis for these types of devices," Ferron says.
The committee also receives an update on bullying prevention efforts from Director of Behavior and Mental Health Services Dr. Sue Egan, who outlines several initiatives implemented this year.
These include showing the film "Upstanders" to students in grades 7-12, implementing the Celtics Playbook initiative with Project 351, and continuing partnerships with Sandy Hook Promise for their "See Something, Say Something" and "Start With Hello" programs.
Egan reports that the district conducted 11 bullying investigations this year, with five substantiated cases. She notes that the district has improved its tracking system to better document all reported incidents, even those that don't meet the legal definition of bullying.
"We were realizing we didn't really have a tracking system in place for just suspected incidents," Egan explains. "Now we have this process... so we'll be able to track it more closely."
Data from the VOCAL (Views of Climate and Learning) survey shows that most students feel safe at school, with 97% of fourth graders and 96% of fifth graders reporting feeling physically safe. However, only 62% of 10th graders feel that students try to stop bullying when they see it happening.
"We feel that even if only one student doesn't feel safe and supported, then we need to do better, and we'll continue in our efforts with that in mind," Egan says.
In other business, the committee:
* Votes to eliminate the $75 student activity fee for extracurricular clubs at Hanover High School, which generated only $4,800 while creating administrative burdens and potential barriers to participation
* Approves student handbooks for the 2025-26 school year, with plans to revisit the social probation section in August
* Extends the contract for the district's finance director through June 30, 2028
* Receives an update on hiring progress, with nine new positions posted since the previous meeting
* Approves donations totaling $34,441.10, bringing the annual total to $95,496.10
The committee schedules its next meeting for June 23 at 5 p.m. to reorganize, with a summer meeting planned for August 27.