FALL RIVER — Superintendent Tracy Curley is telling kids to keep their eyes off their phones and on their books this fall with a new cell phone policy.  

At an Aug. 12 School Committee meeting, the board approved new rules prohibiting cell phone use in schools for grades 6 to 12.  

“We understand that cellphones have great utility, but cellphone use has increasingly become a source of distraction, antisocial behavior and conflict at school,” wrote Curley in a memo sent to parents in the Fall River Public School system on Monday. 

Starting Sept. 23, all middle and high school students will have to either turn in their phones or lock them in special pouches for the day. 

Read more from Dan Medeiros at heraldnews.com.