WEYMOUTH — September 10, 2026 — Weymouth school administrators have halted plans to put a phone-restricting app on Weymouth High School students’ devices, apologized to families for moving too fast, and told the School Committee there is no implementation timeline and no consequence for a student who does not install it. The district learned on Aug. 31 that the state grant it had counted on was denied.
The Full Story
The app is called the Commons. It draws a digital perimeter around the high school and, between 7:30 a.m. and 2:15 p.m. on campus only, limits a student’s phone to calls, texts, the Aspen portal and medical apps — diabetes, seizure and cardiac monitors among them. A district technology specialist who presented it said the company describes itself as “Airplane Mode for Schools,” that it collects only location data, and that it does not sell or share student information.
Families learned about it in a Sunday message before any of that was explained.
“We recognize that we need more time to educate and inform our families, our community about this app. It was never our intent to kind of move so quickly. And we sincerely apologize for any frustration that we caused our families.” — Superintendent Melanie Curtin
Superintendent Curtin said the district has “completely paused,” and that there are no consequences for a student who does not have the app. Karen Monahan, High School Principal, called the rollout “a huge misstep” and said there is now no implementation timeline at all — only a parent meeting, a student meeting and surveys of staff, guardians and students before any next step.
The pressure behind the plan is a state bill that would bar cell phone use bell to bell. It passed the Senate and is with the House. Curtin said the district expected implementation guidance from DESE before the school year and got silence, and that if the bill becomes law the Massachusetts Association of School Committees will issue a model policy the committee itself will vote on.
Nothing about current practice changes. Phones go in classroom holders, as they have for five years. A first offense costs a student the phone for the day; a second brings in a parent; a third carries additional discipline.
Committee members split on the app rather than the pause. Cynthia Lyons said she “bristled at the thought of the school mandating putting an app on the phone that I paid for for my child,” then said her objection had softened. Ashley Dickerman said she felt “kind of sold on it” and faulted only the timing — “this presentation would have been great back in June.” Mary-Ellen Devine did not soften.
“I think locking these phones down is very scary to me, coming from the tech world. I just don’t trust this app at all.” — Mary-Ellen Devine
Devine cited a 1.3-star app store rating and reports that the geofence engages off campus and on weekends. A resident later read from the same reviews, added that thelearningstandard.org rates the app as failing its data transparency standard because the privacy policy has no children’s section, and noted the company is a year old. When she began describing a founder’s professional background, Nardone stopped her — “I just don’t want you to use her name.”
Cost was smaller than the debate. The subscription runs roughly $8,000 to $9,000 a year, a few dollars per student, renewed annually rather than contracted. The alternative — lockable Yonder pouches at about $30 apiece — would cost roughly $50,000 for 1,600 students and, administrators said, get destroyed. The grant, through DESE and the district attorney’s office, was oversubscribed.
