Weston Schools Approve Seven Consent Items, Chart Path to Cell Phone Ban

WESTON -- January 5, 2026, Weston School Committee unanimously approved seven consent items and heard a detailed plan for a bell-to-bell cell phone ban at the high school, set for fall 2026. Principal Sue Bairstow outlined a locker-based approach for the roughly 700-student high school, rejecting Yondr pouches priced at approximately $20,000 for the high school alone as too costly, in favor of a cost-neutral solution in which students store phones in assigned lockers from 8:45 a.m. to 3:15 p.m. The school has recorded just 10 cell phone infractions since September, seven involving freshmen. The committee also heard that the $500,000 Field 1 lighting project, to be funded privately by the Weston Boosters and youth sports groups, is moving forward, with member Kenneth Newberg urging Recreation Commission representative Trevor MacDonald to file with the Community Preservation Committee before the January 16 deadline. The consent vote ratified the WEAAA Contract for 2025-2028, the Local 690 AFSCME Buildings and Grounds memorandum of agreement, an amended 2026-2027 school calendar, a program of studies update, a prekindergarten tuition increase, and a $850 donation to the Gina Fried Scholarship Fund.