Vermont schools begin enforcing statewide cellphone restrictions this year

The rule covers cellphones as well as other personal electronic devices, including tablets and smartwatches.

A new Vermont law taking effect this school year bars students from using smartphones during the school day, adding a statewide standard to a policy many districts had already started testing.

The rule covers cellphones as well as other personal electronic devices, including tablets and smartwatches, unless a student needs one for health reasons or an approved academic accommodation. Districts must now put written policies in place that are at least as strict as the model guidance issued by the Vermont Agency of Education, though each district can decide how to carry out the ban.

Approaches vary widely. Some schools require students to lock phones in lockers or leave them at home. Others use magnetically sealed pouches, while some allow devices to stay in backpacks as long as they are silent and out of sight.

Supporters of the law argue that policies leaving phones close at hand do not do enough. Rep. Angela Arsenault, D-Williston, who helped lead the measure in the legislature, has said nearby devices still invite constant use and do not give students the best chance to stay focused.

Several districts had already moved ahead before the statewide requirement. In the Lamoille South Supervisory Union, the limits began two years ago after teachers raised concerns about phone use during class, superintendent Ryan Heraty said. The district then asked parents for feedback and found strong support for restricting phones. He said this is the third year the district will enforce the rule.

Lamoille South chose a low-cost approach: students are expected to keep phones in lockers, cars or at home, rather than turning them in or placing them in school-provided pouches. Heraty said that keeps responsibility with students and avoids adding new expenses for the schools.

He said the change has coincided with fewer problems tied to cyberbullying, less distraction in class and stronger academic results. He also said families, students and teachers have responded positively.

Elsewhere, schools have adopted different systems. Harwood Union High School in Duxbury has invested in magnetically sealed pouches, while other schools have installed phone cubbies or dedicated lockers. Jay Nichols, executive director of the Vermont Principal’s Association, said school leaders across the state are reporting generally favorable results after trying the restrictions last year.

Not every district uses the same level of restriction for every student. In the Addison Central School District, superintendent Wendy Baker said some students are allowed to keep their phones with them, while others must hand them over to the school office. She said the arrangement depends on what each student needs.

Advocates for tighter rules remain skeptical of any model that keeps phones nearby. Laura Derrendinger, who backed the legislation, said her organization, VT-IRL.org, is rating schools on how closely they follow a model policy the group supports. Under that system, schools only earn the top grade if students store phones in a central location for the full school day.

Her 15-year-old daughter, A.M. Derrendinger, who previously attended a Waldorf school in Vermont before moving on to the Sharon Academy, said students at her earlier school still found ways around the phone pouches. She described classmates using devices in bathrooms and even getting around the restriction by talking to Siri through the pouches.

Laura Derrendinger said those experiences show why she supports the strictest version of the policy, arguing that it is both the least expensive and the most effective option.