In a new effort to crack down on the violence plaguing Brockton High School — the largest school in Massachusetts — the school committee unanimously voted Tuesday on a new policy they hope will be a step in the right direction.
The new cell phone policy for students requires that at the beginning of each school day, they put their phones in pouches. District leaders believe it will force them to pay attention in the classroom, which in turn may limit violence.
The committee also voted to make the acting superintendent work with vetted volunteers in and around the community to come and serve as mentors to support teachers and students. These are just the latest ideas to limit the fights, the verbal abuse and the distractions to learning that teachers and students have said has been going on for some time now.
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School committee members initially proposed the National Guard be placed at the school, but Gov. Maura Healey nixed the idea last week. At the moment, they believe these new changes are the best solutions.
"These are some of those logistical things we have to work out together and get a feel for it. I always say you have to try it on for size and wiggle around it to see what's working and what’s not and continually revisit to see that feedback,” said a committee member.
“If you come from Brockton High, you call it your pride, you love your school and you don't want to see negative about your school but that's all we have been seeing."
The new policies will go into effect when students return from April vacation.
