Bill Analysis: An Act to promote student learning and mental health (S.2549)

A growing body of research indicates that social media and cell phone use are major contributors to the increasing mental health challenges that young people face. Across Massachusetts, numerous schools, districts, and state leaders have recognized the urgency of limiting students’ access to electronic devices in schools in order to support their healthy development and promote positive academic and life outcomes. Officials including Governor Maura Healey, Secretary of Education Patrick Tutwiler, and Attorney General Andrea Campbell have recently called for a ban on access to electronic devices throughout the school day.  

Earlier this month, the Massachusetts Senate advanced a bill to address this issue, with members of the Senate Education Committee unanimously approving S.2549, An Act to promote student learning and mental health. Sen. Jason Lewis, co-chair of the Joint Committee on Education, has expressed that he expects the bill (which replaces seven earlier bills filed on the same topic) to go before the full Senate within a month, indicating interest among members in an expedited timeline for review and approval.

The Rennie Center is closely tracking the progress of this legislation, given its relevance to student mental health. Since 2021, we have been working with our partners at bryt and the Massachusetts School Mental Health Consortium to promote stronger school mental health systems through the Thriving Minds project. See below for an overview of S.2549, and feel free to reach out to our staff if your school or district is interested in working with Thriving Minds to strengthen your systems for identifying and addressing students’ mental health concerns.

Section 1 of S.2549 adds a new section on “Personal Electronic Devices” to the set of laws governing public schools in Massachusetts. It first lays out a definition of “Personal Electronic Devices,” which are defined broadly as devices that allow for voice, text, or data communication between multiple parties. The bill specifically states that this includes phones, tablets, smartwatches, and Bluetooth-enabled devices. However, it excludes school-issued devices that serve an educational purpose. Unlike one of the Senate bills that it supersedes, S. 2549 does not make an exception for mobile phones that lack internet connectivity.

The bill requires that each school or district enact a policy regarding the use of personal electronic devices on school grounds and during school-sponsored activities. Unlike some of the earlier bills filed on this topic, S.2549 does not mandate a single, statewide policy, but rather leaves it up to each school or district to define its own approach. The bill also allows for variations within the school or district policy to accommodate differences in students’ developmental levels and school schedules across grades. Though the bill does not stipulate any particular methods of engaging community members during the policy development phase, the final policy must be approved by the school committee or other governing body. Additionally, the school or district must notify students and parents/guardians about the contents of the final policy and make the text publicly available. The bill requires that each school or district have a policy in place regarding personal electronic devices before the start of the 2026-27 school year, and these must be filed with the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE).

While the exact content of the policy is left to individual schools or districts to decide, the bill lays out five items that it must include:

1. A prohibition on student use of personal electronic devices during the school day (that is, from bell to bell, not just during instructional time);
2. Standards to guide student use of personal electronic devices beyond standard school hours;
3. Any exceptions to the policy (see below);
4. Methods that parents/guardians can use to contact their students during the school day (or vice versa), including in emergency situations; and
5. Enforcement provisions that will not lead to inequitable disciplinary outcomes.

The bill allows for a broader set of exceptions than many of the earlier bills filed on this topic. Among other reasons, policies may allow access to personal electronic devices for health and safety needs, when required by students with disabilities or multilingual learners, during travel to off-campus school activities (such as early college or work-based learning programs), when directed by a teacher or other staff member, and in emergency situations. In addition to these specific scenarios, the bill also allows schools or districts to set “any other reasonable exception.”

Section 2 of S.2549 adds a new section on “Personal Electronic Devices” to the set of laws governing the powers and duties of DESE. It requires DESE to provide guidance and recommendations to assist schools and districts with the development and implementation of policies on device usage. This guidance must be issued within 180 days of the law’s effective date, and it must include one or more model policies.

Specifically, the bill directs DESE to offer information on three topics: 1) preventing the personal use of school-issued devices; 2) options for ensuring that devices are stored securely during the school day; and 3) methods of policy enforcement. Unlike a similar bill filed by Sen. Julian Cyr with support from Attorney General Campbell, S.2549 does not require DESE (or districts) to issue guidance on responsible social media usage or educate students about the potential harms associated with social media.

Finally, the bill requires DESE to report to the legislature before the end of 2027 on the impact of prohibiting personal electronic devices in schools. While this provision does not specify the type of data that must be reported, it indicates that DESE will likely need school/district data on how the legislation has impacted academic, social-emotional, and mental health outcomes in order to fully appreciate the impact of the new law.