Page 4 THE MALDEN ADVOCATE–Friday, September 12, 2025 Sen. Lewis announces virtual Office Hours for September S Jason Lewis State Senator tate Senator Jason Lewis will be holding virtual Office Hours on Monday, September 15, from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. Any constituent of Senator Lewis is welcome to attend Office Hours, 8 Norwood St. Everett (617) 387-9810 Open Tues. - Sat. at 4:00 PM Closed Sun. & Mon. Announcing our Classic Specials Dine In Only: * FREE Salad with purchase of Entree, Tuesdays & Wednesdays * Cheese Pizza - Only $10 Catch ALL The Live Sports Action On Our Large Screen TV’s Scan & Follow Us on Facebook! BAN | FROM PAGE 1 health and well-being; increases job satisfaction for teachers; and makes schools safer during emergency situations. “There are a myriad of negative effects linked to student cell phone usage in school, including diminished academic performance, poorer mental health, worse relationship building and social skills, online bullying, and more,” said Senator Lewis, who is Senate Chair of the Legislature’s Joint Committee on Education. According to Pew Research, 72% of high school teachers www.810bargrille.com Cedar impression half rounds Harvey Vinyl Replacement Windows Custom Aluminum Trim work Windows & Doors Top quality Vinyl Siding! •Vinyl Siding •Carpentry Work •Decks •Roofing •Free Estimates •Replacement Windows •Fully Licensed •Fully Insured Everett Aluminum Supplies Celebrating 66 Years in Business Since 1958! consider cell phones to be a “major problem” in the classroom, and numerous studies have shown the benefits to student learning and well-being by removing cell phones from schools. “Thank you to all the students, parents, teachers, school administrators, researchers, and other stakeholders we’ve worked with in drafting and passing this important legislation,” Sen. Lewis said. An Act to Promote Student Learning and Mental Health requires all public K-12 school districts in Massachusetts to adopt “bell to bell” cell phone-free school policies by the start of the 2026-2027 school year. Districts would be allowed to make exceptions for students who need personal devices for managing medical conditions, off-campus travel requirements, and individualized education plans (IEPs), or to accommodate a disability. Schools will be required to ensure that parents or guardians are able to contact their children during the school day when necessary. To guide districts in crafting their policies, the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) would solicit public input and provide guidance, recommendations and a model policy. Districts would have the freedom to decide how best to implement and enforce their policy. More than half of all states have already enacted statewide laws or regulations to ban, limit or discourage student cell phone use in schools. The bill passed in the state Senate with a bipartisan vote of 38-2. On August 4, 2025, the House of Representatives referred the bill to its committee on Ways and Means. with no appointment necessary, to discuss any personal issue or legislative feedback with the Senator and his staff. Virtual Office Hours are held on Zoom. Each constituent meets privately with the Senator during the Zoom session. To join the meeting please visit SenatorJasonLewis.com, use the following link address or enter the meeting information on Zoom: https://us06web.zoom. us/j/83854164671?pwd=eWZWQWU0VkZjcE9XSXl5Rk1BRVd5Zz09 Meeting ID: 838 5416 4671 Passcode: 234270 Senator Lewis also holds regular in-person Office Hours in each community of the district (Malden, Melrose, Reading, Stoneham, Wakefield and Winchester). For further information or any questions, visit SenatorJasonLewis.com or contact his State House office at 617-722-1206 or Jason.Lewis@ masenate.gov. Monogram D4 Double siding
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