Hampden Academy is planning to require students to lock up their phones during the day later this school year.

The school will use magnetic pouches to hold phones and smartwatches throughout the school day, the district told parents in a September letter obtained by the Bangor Daily News.

The school, which is part of Regional School Unit 22, said in the letter that it decided to implement the new policy because it “builds on Hampden Academy’s ongoing efforts to develop a cell phone policy that truly helps students learn.”

Hampden Academy is the first school in the Bangor region to ban students from using devices during the school day. Multiple school districts in Maine implemented phone bans during the past year, including MSAD 75 in Topsham and Bath-based Morse High School in RSU 1.

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