As of this spring, Andover’s Cell Phone Policy Task Force has put their work on hold as part of a collective decision to focus on community wellbeing. The task force plans to present their progress and ideas to faculty shortly after school ends in June, and the final policy will be finalized and shared with the campus community before the start of the 2025-2026 school year. Only 1.1 percent of students support more regulations surrounding cell phone usage, and 5.3 percent support regulations in dorms, according to The Phillipian’s 2025 State of the Academy (SOTA). SOTA is the annual anonymous survey sent out to Andover’s student body containing 148 questions regarding aspects of student life on campus, politics and worldview, education, and more.
Susan Tsao Esty, Dean of Students and Residential Life and Co-Head of the task force, explained their decision and the updated timeline for the policy.
“In response to the tragedy on campus in March, we decided to pause our work on the cell phone policy and focus on caring for the community. We will share the Cell Phone Policy Task Force’s work with faculty and administrators in June. We look forward to moving forward with the process and hope to share a final plan with the community before school starts in the fall,” wrote Esty in an email to The Phillipian.
