Falmouth schools will ban student cell phones for the 2026-27 school year, following suit with a new statewide law.

On Wednesday, April 15, the Falmouth School Board approved a policy that states, “students are not permitted to carry, wear or access personal cell phones, smart watches, or other PEDs [personal electronic devices] during the school day.”

Currently, students cannot use phones or other PEDs during class, with the exception of personal laptops that students have purchased to use as their school device. Under the new policy, students will be prohibited from using both personal laptops and other PEDs from opening to closing bells, including passing periods, lunch and study halls.

This policy change is a direct response to a new Maine law that will go into effect on Aug. 1, requiring schools to ban cell phones during the school day. The law does not specifically state the requirements for a full-day ban, which is left to the board and administration to determine how these requirements will be met at Falmouth. Falmouth middle and elementary schools already have cell phone bans in place.

With the ban on personal laptops, some students have raised questions about what devices they’ll be allowed to use for school work. When asked by senior school board representative and Falmouth High School student Finley Van Til “whether all students will be offered a school-issued device under the new policy,” all board members responded affirmatively, including board Chair Alicia Johnson and Superintendent Steve Nolan. Principal David Conrady mentioned that it is “highly likely” that iPads will be the school-issued device distributed to students for the 2026-27 year.

When asked about the motivation behind a shift to iPads from school-issued Macbooks, Conrady said that on iPads, students are less likely “to bypass security measures” that have in the past endangered school safety and security. When speaking in a previous meeting, Conrady mentioned that although “cost is considered, it’s not the leading factor in the switch to iPads ù it’s the accessibility that iPads provide.”

Conrady said phones could be stored in a number of ways, including the use of magnetically locked Yondr pouches or lockers. The board emphasized that the decision for a bell-to-bell ban was “not made lightly,” as it will be a “significant change” for everyone involved.

This decision was preceded by a survey distributed to parents, teachers and high school students on Jan. 15 to “ to ensure that the approach [to the upcoming PED policy change] reflects the values and priorities of our community,” according to the schoolwide survey.

Specifically, the survey aimed to gauge the opinions of stakeholders in the community on a bell-to-bell ban. Of the students who responded, 11.2% supported a ban. In comparison, a much larger 79% of parents and 82.6% of teachers who responded were in support of the ban. Regarding the discrepancy in results, the board acknowledged that the student responses “are telling a different story than that of the parents’ responses.”

Calla Hehmeyer is a Falmouth High School student.