East Longmeadow awarded Phone Free Schools grant; district plans vendor-supported January rollout

Assistant Superintendent Heather Brown told the committee that East Longmeadow was awarded a Phone Free Schools grant from the attorney general and outlined an implementation approach with vendor support.

"We were awarded the Phone Free Schools grant from the attorney general," Brown said, and described vendor Yonder's role beyond supplying pouches: Yonder will provide implementation guidance, stakeholder messaging, professional development for teachers, orientation meetings with administrators, on-site implementation observation, and follow-up coaching. Brown said the district intends to wait until at least January to implement so staff, students and families have time for training and messaging.

Committee members discussed purchase-order timing so the district can secure vendor supply ahead of other districts that may be seeking the same product; administration said the grant is two years and that implementation costs are primarily for training and rollout rather than the hardware itself.