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The What

The What: Why Southwest Connecticut Schools Are Banning Phones, Reorganization Meetings, and more

The What is your look around southwest Connecticut for the week of December 1.

The What: Why Southwest Connecticut Schools Are Banning Phones, Reorganization Meetings, and more
Happy December! Where did this year go... (Photo by Kelly Prinz)

Monday, December 1

Happy Monday! And happy December. Hope you all got to enjoy some time with your families this past week. It’s a busy week around the region, so let’s dive in.

Highlights 

This section gives a brief overview of the key items in the newsletter.

Spotlight

This section features our main reporting each week.

For years teachers, advocates, and experts have been sounding the alarm that students’ mental health is declining, their attention spans are decreasing, and their social skills are diminishing. 

While the COVID-19 pandemic amplified and accelerated these trends, many of them were in play before 2020. That’s led many to believe there’s a simple answer to these complicated issues: It’s the phones. 

Jonathan Haidt, a social psychologist at New York University’s Stern School of Business, has been one of the leading experts on this issue. He authored the book The Anxious Generation, which explores the “collapse of youth mental health” and lays out a plan for a healthier, freer childhood. 

“As the teen-mental-health crisis rolls on and rates of depression, anxiety, and self-harm continue to rise, we are not helpless,” Haidt wrote in an article for The Atlantic titled “Get Phones Out of Schools Now.” “Parents, teachers, and school administrators can take meaningful action too, right now.”

Haidt’s work has sparked a movement across the country—and southwest Connecticut—to ban phones in schools. 

Just since school started this year, Westport Schools banned cell phones at the high school, Norwalk expanded its ban of phones, particularly at the high school level, and Fairfield adopted phone-free regulations in October. 

“The recommendations are grounded in research, practice, and the experiences of our staff and students and the evidence is clear: smartphones and wearable technology during the day diminish focus, undermine mental health, erode peer interaction, and place an undue burden on the faculty members for enforcement,” Westport Superintendent Thomas Scarice told the Board of Education in October. 

“Schools that have embraced phone-free environments report stronger academic outcomes, healthier student relationships, and a culture more aligned with the core mission of our schools,” he added. 

Read our full piece to learn why experts say this is the right move and what it looks like in practice across the region. 

And ICYMI: Learn more about a dangerous week on the roads in Stamford, Norwalk, and the surrounding areas. 

This Week at a Glance

This section aims to highlight the most important meetings and news taking place each week. 

  • In Bridgeport, the City Council will meet on Monday, December 1 at 7 p.m. and elect its new council president as well as appoint members to committees. 
  • In Stamford, the Board of Representatives will meet on Monday, December 1 at 8 p.m. and elect a new president of the board. 
  • Also in Stamford, the Zoning Board will meet on Monday, December 1 at 6:30 p.m. and host a public hearing on an application to construct 44 two-story carriage homes and 58 three-story townhomes with associated improvements and amenities at 120 Long Ridge Road. The board will also review an application to convert a vacant office building at 1241 E. Main Street to 84 housing units. 
  • In Norwalk, the Planning and Zoning Commission will meet on Wednesday, December 3 at 6 p.m. and review an application that would convert two office park buildings in the Merritt 7 complex to residential units. 
  • In Fairfield, the Town Plan and Zoning Commission will meet on Tuesday, December 2 at 1 p.m. and elect its new officers. 
  • In Greenwich, there will be an America 250 | Greenwich Information Session on Thursday, December 4 at 9 a.m. Residents and organizations are invited to attend an “engaging brainstorm and information session to explore how Greenwich can take part in the nationwide celebration of America’s 250th anniversary in 2026. During this session, we’ll share how other organizations are marking this historic milestone—and how you might get involved. Whether you’re part of a civic group, nonprofit, school, house of worship, or local business, your ideas and participation can help make Greenwich’s celebration truly special.”
  • In Westport, the Representative Town Meeting will meet on Tuesday, December 2 at 7:30 p.m. to elect a new moderator and deputy moderator, while the Board of Finance will meet on Wednesday, December 3 at 7:30 p.m. and elect its new chair and vice chair.

Plan Your Week

This section includes a list of meetings, events, and programming happening around southwest Connecticut each week.

Bridgeport

Stamford

Norwalk

Fairfield

Greenwich

  • Monday, December 1: RTM Committees: Finance Committee at 7 p.m. | Education Committee at 7:30 p.m. | Land Use Committee at 7:30 p.m. | Legislative & Rules Committee at 7:30 p.m. | Public Works Committee at 7:30 p.m.
  • Tuesday, December 2: RTM Committees: Appointments Committee at 7:30 p.m. | Health & Human Services Committee at 7:30 p.m. | Parks & Recreation Committee at 7:30 p.m. | Town Services Committee at 7:30 p.m. | Transportation Committee at 7:30 p.m. 
  • Wednesday, December 3: Board of Parks and Recreation at 6:30 p.m.
  • Thursday, December 4: America 250 | Greenwich Information Session at 9 a.m. | Conservation Commission at 7 p.m. | FS Sustainability Committee at 11 a.m.

Darien

Westport

Stay in touch!

As we continue to grow and evolve, please join us! You can do that by:

Please note: All of these agendas and information here are current as of Sunday night. Meeting times and agendas may get adjusted throughout the week.

Have a great week,

Kelly Prinz

Founder, Reporter at Coastal Connecticut Times

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