JAY — Spruce Mountain High School students are set to join peers statewide next month in a “bell-to-bell” ban on cellphones.
The Regional School Unit 73 board of directors voted 11-1 Thursday night to begin the ban at the start of the third quarter, which is Jan. 20, 2026.
Board Chairwoman Shari Oullette said total cellphone bans “have had a positive effect” at other schools.
Mount Blue High School Principal Joel Smith told The Maine Monitor last month the total ban has “been a huge transformational shift.” He said the school has seen a “noticeable decrease in distractions, with students more focused, engaged and socially present. All classrooms are now phone-free, allowing teachers to spend more time on instruction and less on behavior redirection.”
Mount Blue teachers reported more student interaction, particularly in hallways, and a “calmer school culture overall.” Nearby districts have reported similar satisfaction with the bans, The Maine Monitor has reported.
The debate among Spruce Mountain directors and officials focused more on when to implement the ban than on whether to adopt it.
The vote to implement the ban was unanimous.
Director Ava Moffett voted no on the start date.
Under a state law enacted in June, all districts must adopt a cellphone policy for the 2025-26 school year.
At least two speakers favored starting the ban with the 2026-27 school year.
Spruce Mountain High School Principal T.J. Plourde told the board, “It would be a nice gesture to our seniors if we put it into effect next school year.”
Seniors have been allowed to use cellphones in restricted settings throughout high school, he said, and a change midway through their final year would be abrupt.
Cpl. Anthony York, the school resource officer and a Spruce Mountain graduate, urged the board not to change the policy immediately, saying it would cause an “uproar.” Like Plourde, he favored waiting until next school year to give students time to adjust.
Jay Director Jodi Cordes proposed starting the ban with the third quarter.
“A lot of things in life change,” she said, adding that a month or so should be enough time to adjust.
Jay Director Elaine Fitzgerald agreed, saying, “We have to start educating students (about the change) right now.”
Notices are to be sent to all students, and the student handbook will be updated as soon as possible.
Cellphones have already been banned throughout the day at Spruce Mountain Middle School. At the high school, the current policy allows cellphone use outside classrooms, such as in the cafeteria and before and after classes.
Across the country, at least 32 states and the District of Columbia require districts to ban or restrict student cellphone use, according to Education Week, a national newspaper for educators. Of the states, 23 ban cellphones “bell to bell.” Four states — Alaska, Colorado, Minnesota and New Mexico — have policies similar to Maine’s.
In Maine, no tally is available of how many districts have banned cellphones “bell to bell” or limited use to outside classrooms. News outlets have reported that one-third or more have banned or sharply restricted use.
