New year brings new schedule, phone ban to High School

As Weston High School students returned to school on Sept. 2, they probably noticed one of the year’s two major changes right away.

Beginning this year, Weston High School – as was already the case with the Middle School and elementary schools – is now cellphone-free from bell to bell, with students required to place their devices in lockers upon arrival. The other major initiative undertaken by the district, and one that will have a major effect on learning time despite its low visibility, is the new scheduling adopted in 2025.

The High School’s schedule now operates on a 10-day cycle that Principal Susan Bairstow and School Committee Vice Chair Tiao Xie say aligns more with the cadence of society, unlocks more opportunities for students to take classes they are interested in, creates a new “Wildcat block” that allows for enrichment activities or assemblies during the school day and, as a byproduct, reduces the number of study halls.

Exploration around the implementation of the schedule began in fall 2024, with a process including surveys, a parent forum and a scheduling committee. Bairstow said the scheduling committee focused on maximizing learning time at school, asking how students were using school time and how the schedule was meeting their needs.

“What we found is that students’ lives are busy, they want to take a lot of classes that interest them and they are looking for taking the most rigorous course load they can in the time they have,” she said.

Xie described the schedule as “two five-day cycles stacked on top of each other,” which creates more predictability for both students and faculty by emulating the traditional five-day work week. With one of the shortest school days in the surrounding area, he said the previous schedule had “pretty much maximized the amount of minutes students could be spending in the classroom.”

“What the committee ended up doing was figuring out a way to maximize that limited amount of total minutes,” he said. “How can we really spread it out and make sure we take advantage of every single minute students are in the school.”

Part of this year’s budget discussions revolved around the new schedule, with the School Committee adding two full-time equivalent positions. Bairstow said this allows the High School to add more elective classes and more sections of already-existing electives.

The newly-created Wildcat Block on Wednesday afternoons can be used in myriad ways, including open time for students to meet with teachers and holding assemblies, advisories and targeted instructional interventions. The block was created because the first Wednesday of each month is an early-release day, meaning any class in the late afternoon slot would have fewer sessions each semester. The district previously had a Wildcat block before the school day on Thursdays, but Bairstow said the move provides more flexibility.

“That excites me because it really gives us an opportunity to meet the needs of our students within the school day,” Bairstow said. “We’re hoping to create this opportunity for kids to use the time in the way they see fit, and also for teachers to be able to reach those kids.”

As for cellphones, while the bell-to-bell ban is new, a ban on personal electronic devices is not. The School Committee adopted the policy in 2025, banning phones from pre-K through eighth grade, but allowing High School students to use phones between classes, during lunch and in scheduled free blocks.

Bairstow said the vast majority of students followed the policy – there were about 20 cellphone violations total – and this is an opportunity to create a learning environment free of distractions.

“I think about this in the same way that I think about the new schedule: How students are using their time in school, how we can help them to better use their time,” she said. “Less use of social media, less of a distraction of a cell phone in school; I look forward to that, but I do feel like we’ve been doing a good job.”

Both Xie and Bairstow referenced efforts in Massachusetts and across the country to ban cellphones from schools, and that putting devices away is about building community, reinforcing human connections and improving mental health.

“Previously when you walk into a study hall, a lot of students are doing work, but at the same time they have their cellphone at their fingertips,” Xie said. “The goal is to create a culture in the school. The phones can stay away; when you’re in school you want to be present with your peers to really build this human interaction, rather than through the electronics.”