North Reading School Committee Withdraws From State Building Program, Advances Cell Phone Policy

NORTH READING -- June 15, 2026, North Reading School Committee votes to exit state building program and advance student phone ban. The four-member committee voted unanimously June 15 to formally withdraw from the Massachusetts School Building Authority program for a Hood School modular replacement project, with Superintendent Dr. Patrick Daley explaining that the MSBA assessment cost had grown close enough to the independent project cost to make the subsidy no longer advantageous; a town warrant article is expected in the fall. The committee also approved first readings of a wireless communication devices policy that would prohibit student phone use throughout the school day, including lunch, with a software-based enforcement tool costing roughly $5 to $15 per student under consideration alongside existing classroom phone caddies. Member Vasiliki Elkins called the phone policy "the hill I would die on as a school committee member." Sarah Osier was introduced as the incoming North Reading Middle School principal, succeeding the departing Dr. Kathy O'Connell. The committee accepted seven donations from parent organizations totaling $29,084.99, led by a $17,455.33 gift from the Bachelor School Parent Organization for an AV project.