With state legislation pending, Rep. Tarsky supports a school cellphone ban

by Seth Bauer August 27, 2025, The Needham Observer

Photo credit: The Needham Observer

In August, the Massachusetts State Senate passed a bill that would require schools to limit student access to and/or use of cellphones during the school day. The vote garnered headlines, but the bill has yet to reach the State House floor let alone become law.

For Needham students, passage of the bill as written would have little impact. The current Needham Public Schools policies — including the high school policy of having students park their phones in hanging pouches as they enter each classroom — already meet the requirements.

State Rep. Josh Tarsky said he supports the bill. “I’m not on the education committee but I testified in support,” he said, and he believes it will help many students and faculty across the state. 

But Tarsky, who came to politics after decades as a school teacher and administrator, has a bigger idea. He has filed a separate bill, H.715, in the Massachusetts House that would, with limited exceptions, ban the use of cellphones at any time in the school day from the morning bell to dismissal. The bill is modeled after the Brockton High School policy which Tarsky had used at his own school.

“One of the last things I did as the principal of Holbrook High was implement this bell-to-bell ban. We thought it was very effective. I would argue that the students and community also found it to be very effective and transformative of the school culture and environment. Discipline issues went down, student engagement went up and it was just a really positive thing for that school.”

The school used a sealed-pouch system. Each morning students put their phones in a pouch which was then sealed for the day. They carried the pouch with them and it was unsealed by a machine as they left the building.

“We found that very efficient, especially as students got accustomed to it. They would basically tap their pouch on one of these magnetic devices at the end of the day, unlock their pouch, get their phone, and be on their way.”

Tarsky said the common concerns about the pouches were dwarfed by the benefits.

Students who needed to contact family members during the day could do so by visiting an administrator who could unlock the pouch. And in a desperate emergency, Tarsky, who is a former Green Beret, said, “It’s the adults who should be in charge. We’re trained in protocols at schools. It’s the adults that have that training, whether it’s active shooter drills and ALICE [Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter, Evacuate] or fire drills. We found that cellphones are actually a distraction to that process.”

Tarsky said he hopes the current bill will lead schools to take even greater measures, whether his bill passes or not. “I think it can be transformative. It’s going to increase student engagement, it’s going to decrease bullying. I think it’s going to help with students’ mental health, which is an issue, you know, across the commonwealth, the country and the world. So yes, I’m a strong supporter.”

Contact: Joshua.Tarsky@MaHouse.Gov