With the 2025-2026 school year kicking off this week, Revere High School has rolled out a new cell phone policy, requiring students to store their phones in classroom lockers at the start of every period and restricting usage to designated times. This initiative aims to minimize distractions and enhance focus during lessons, allowing teachers to engage students more effectively.
Under the new rules, students in grades 9–12 must place their cell phones in a designated classroom locker box at the beginning of each class and may retrieve them only at the end of the class. Devices will only be permitted during assigned lunch periods in the cafeteria and are strictly prohibited in hallways, bathrooms, or when leaving class with a pass. Only school-issued devices, such as Chromebooks, will be allowed for academic purposes.
The change was motivated by the district’s dedication to maintaining students’ focus on learning. The goal of this policy is to foster an environment where students can fully engage in instruction, free from the constant distractions of notifications and social media.
Principal Chris Bowen emphasized that the updated rules strike a balance between allowing limited use and maintaining structure.
“We recognize that technology is a part of our students’ lives, and we’re not banning phones completely,” Bowen said. “But during class time, the priority has to be teaching and learning. This policy allows students to connect at lunch while ensuring that classrooms remain distraction-free.”
Assistant Principal Afton Dean noted that the school will take a “progressive discipline” approach for students who don’t comply.
“We want to be clear—this isn’t about punishment; it’s about responsibility,” Dean said. “If a student refuses to follow the procedure, there will be logical consequences, from temporarily docking their phone in the main office to caregiver retrieval, and in more serious cases, suspension. But we hope that students will quickly adapt.”
Examples of policy violations include refusing to place a phone in the locker, attempting to dock a fake or secondary device, using phones in hallways during class time, or tampering with the classroom locker.
School leaders say they expect some adjustment at the beginning of the year but believe the change will ultimately benefit both students and teachers.
“This policy is designed to support our students,” Bowen added. “When they’re less distracted, they perform better, and that’s what we want for every student at Revere High School.”