Wilmington School Committee to Weigh Cell Phone App Pilot for Fall Semester

WILMINGTON — April 30, 2026 — Wilmington School Committee reviews student health data showing LGBTQ+ disparities and weighs a cell phone app pilot. The committee heard results from the 2025 Wilmington Public Schools Youth Health Survey, presented by Becca Millaw of JSI Research and Training Institute Inc. alongside Behavioral Health Coordinator Erin Dunham, showing broad mental health improvements district-wide — including a more than 50 percent decline in high school substance use since 2019 — but stark disparities for LGBTQ+ and transgender and gender diverse students, with 50 percent of transgender middle schoolers reporting school-based bullying compared to 18 percent overall. Member Adam Golden declared he would "never" stop asking students about their identities given the data, while member Joanna McCaulder raised significant privacy and contract concerns about a working group recommendation to pilot the Doorman cell phone management app in grades 6 through 12 for the 2026-2027 school year, citing an estimated cost of roughly $7,000 and worries about a software company changing licensing terms after installation. The item will return for a formal vote at a future regular meeting, with the Massachusetts House having already passed a bell-to-bell phone ban bill on April 8.