The Scarborough School Board will consider a new policy on the usage of personal electronic devices in the district’s schools at its meeting next Thursday.

A petition signed by over 400 community members in favor of a bell-to-bell ban on the devices has been sent to the board, while another letter to the board signed by over 380 students is in opposition to a ban.

“We are in receipt of one petition from students and some staff members against the first draft of the updated (electronic device) policy,” school board Chair Shannon Lindstrom wrote in an email to the Leader. “In addition, we are in receipt of one letter of support from parents supporting a bell-to-bell ban of cellphones throughout the district.” 

Scarborough is not the only town in the state contemplating a ban. Many other communities in Maine have either implemented or considered a ban on electronic devices in recent years. A representative at the Maine Department of Education told the Leader the state does not keep track of how many school districts currently have a ban in place.

Lindstrom said the board initially adopted policies in 2011, amended them in 2017 and that the board’s Policy Committee reviewed them again this summer and fall. The committee came forward with a proposed update in January and, after deliberations among board members and the public, the board will consider a new version at its meeting Thursday, Feb. 27.

The current policy states that students must have electronic devices turned off during classes and school activities with the exception of when a teacher authorizes their use “for a specific purpose.” It permits students to use their devices between classes and during lunch as long as they don’t interrupt their peers.

Ellen Coughlin-Quinn, a Scarborough parent and member of the Scarborough Alliance for Thoughtful Tech, helped organize the petition drive that argues for a bell-to-bell ban.

“After over 10 years of experience with teens having smartphones, I think we have enough research and data to say this is a problem and it’s something we need to do something about,” she said.

The new policy proposes a ban for students in kindergarten through eighth grade between the first and last bells indicating school hours, and states they must be stored “in designated locations during school hours.” However, the proposal maintains that high schoolers can use their devices during lunch periods and between classes.

According to the proposed policy, high school students would have to “place cellphones in a designated location upon entering an academic area” and they are not allowed to take them with them if they are to leave during class, such as to use the bathroom.

The petition in favor of a ban calls for “personal electronic device-free school days, from first bell to last bell, where devices are turned off, securely locked away, and inaccessible to students during school hours.”

“Smartphones and other devices are intentionally built to trigger the dopamine system,” Coughlin-Quinn said. “The more access we have to these devices — the notifications and pings — the more dysregulated our dopamine receptors become and that can lead to more addictive issues.”

Even if a phone is required to be turned off and stored in a student’s backpack or on the teacher’s desk, those who signed the petition argue, its presence can still be distracting. Students may anxiously anticipate being able to check their phone after class, for example, distracting them from their schoolwork.

“Even if a student isn’t actively checking their phone, the brain remains in a state of alertness which serves to divide attention, increasing the cognitive load and forcing students to multitask,” said Stephanie Fraone, a Scarborough parent. “This in turn undermines concentration and impairs the working memory — the system responsible for initially holding and manipulating information. When working memory is disrupted, so is the flow of new information into short-term memory, and, ultimately, long-term memory.”

Michelle Jackson, a Scarborough parent and member of SATT, said that teens’ addiction to smartphones is “a scary reality.”

“I think we, as adults, all recognize how hard it is to put our phones down — they are literally designed to be addictive — but for kids and teens, who lack fully developed self-regulation skills, the pull is even stronger,” Jackson said. “Excessive use isn’t just a bad habit. It has real, long-term effects on brain development for kids, contributing to lifelong issues like compulsive behavior, anxiety and difficulty with focus and impulse control. That’s a scary reality.”

Many Scarborough students, however, object to a bell-to-bell ban.

At the board’s Jan. 16 meeting, a junior at Scarborough High School who only identified himself by the first name Henry said he was speaking on behalf of 384 students who signed a petition sent to the school board.

“The proposed policy banning the use of personal electronic devices at Scarborough Public Schools introduces numerous logistical challenges, undermines students’ educational opportunities, restricts the choice of teachers and creates unnecessary conflict between students, staff and administrators,” he said. “Most classrooms already manage phone use effectively. There’s already a policy in place that the teachers and administrators have said works well. The new policy completely removes their discretion on the use of personal electronics. The decision to give a child a personal electronic device and how to manage its use should remain a personal choice for each family guided by their own values and understanding of their child’s maturity, rather than being dictated by school board policies.”

Some have also argued phones should still be allowed in case communication between a student and parent is necessary, such as in the case of an emergency.

There are a lot of varying opinions and a mammoth amount of data on the subject. Coughlin-Quinn told the Leader she would like to see the board develop a workgroup throughout the 2025-2026 school year to dive into the topic and ensure decision makers are working with the same set of information, rather than conducting individual research. If that takes place, she hopes a recommendation can come forward for the 2026-2027 school year.

“Given the complexity and significance of these issues, a more structured, collaborative review of research could help ensure that all members have access to the most comprehensive and up-to-date information,” Coughlin-Quinn said. “Other districts, such as Bath, have adopted this approach by forming workgroups to guide thoughtful implementation. Similarly, a local teacher shared that her school formed a committee to study personal device use, which will present recommendations for the next school year.”

The Scarborough School Board will consider the updated policy on personal electronic devices at its Feb. 27 meeting.