Bozeman Schools Lock Down Phones with New App | Helena News

Helena News Today | 2 Min News | The Daily News Now! · Sep 1, 2026 · 1m

Bozeman School District’s new phone policy lets high schoolers bring their devices—but only if they install The Commons app, which locks down social media during school hours while letting calls and texts go through. Designed to cut distractions and boost face-to-face interaction, the app activates when students enter the school’s geofence and reactivates apps once they leave. Parents pushed for this change to stay connected with teens during the day, while the district also built in accommodations and monitoring—like tracking website visits and flagging attempts to disable the app. Students…