MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) — The middle school in Vermont’s capital city is banning the use of cellphones by students during school hours when classes resume later this month.

The decision by officials at the Main Street Middle School will ban was made because of concerns about distractions for students in class. It is also meant to address the broader issue of the impact of technology on social interaction.

The Times Argus reports the decision follows an internal review and a district-wide discussion among administrators in the Montpelier-Roxbury Public Schools District.

The new policy says that students would not be allowed access to their cellphones from 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Assistant Principal Matt Roy says “there’s absolutely no need for cellphones, educationally or socially, for the school day.”

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