Barnstable School Committee Adopts Bell-to-Bell Cell Phone Ban for Fall 2026

BARNSTABLE -- July 15, 2026, Barnstable School Committee adopts bell-to-bell cell phone ban and clears seven other policy actions at its July 15 session. The committee voted 4-1 to create policy JICJ-A, prohibiting student use of cell phones and personal electronic devices during the entire school day, including passing time and lunch, an expansion of the prior rule. Superintendent Sarah Ahern reported that Governor Healey signed a $63.4 billion state budget on July 9, locking in a minimum Chapter 70 increase of $160 per pupil and a 23 percent boost to Circuit Breaker special education reimbursement, bringing that fund to $806 million and restoring expected full funding at the 75 percent level; the governor separately filed legislation to add a one-time $112 per-pupil supplement pending legislative action. The committee unanimously authorized the district to seek Town Council approval for a bus parking lease of up to 10 years, approved a new ILC classroom teacher position at Centerville Elementary and an aftercare nursing coordinator, and fast-tracked a state-required overhaul of the student restraint policy, renamed "Timeout, Seclusion, and Restraint of Students", to meet a DESE deadline of August 17. Performing arts department head Elijah Langell presented a first-read proposal to name the newly completed Barnstable High School recording studio, described as the only such facility on Cape Cod, the Mark Hennessey Recording Studio, with roughly $100,000 in community equipment donations supporting the space.