On September 3rd 2025, Timberlane Regional High School officially granted students access to Spotify, Apple Music, and Iheartradio on school-issued chromebooks. Because of the phone ban, students will have to use chromebooks to listen to music. This privilege aims to give students a controlled way to listen to music for focus and relaxation without the distractions that come with cell phones.
For this exciting new opportunity, students can thank assistant principal Ms. Harbel who worked hard to make it happen. Ms. Harbel got a lot of suggestions for this accessibility from students who reached out through emails and in person. Harbel was more than accepting of these suggestions, in fact she agrees that music has many benefits. “It was important for me to give students access to music on their chromebooks because I, myself, feel more relaxed and focused when I listen to music.” stated Ms. Harbel, assistant principal at Timberlane High School. She has high hopes for this new improvement but needs students’ cooperation in order to keep this privilege. She added, “I hope people don’t abuse it.” This new oppurtunity serves as a way for students to listen to music without distractions and the admin hopes it stays that way.
The cell phone ban was implemented this year and is a law in the state of New Hampshire. Governor Kelly Ayotte implemented it because she thinks there are many negative outcomes of having cellphones in schools. “That’s why today I am announcing that we will be taking action to ban cell phones in our schools. Screens are negatively impacting our learning environments, drawing students’ attention,” Ayotte highlighted. However with this new law, students weren’t completely on board with the idea of not having their phones. A big reason for this was the fear of not having access to music. “Music helps me get through my day, and I was scared to not be able to have that with the phone ban being in place.” Emma Eason, senior at Timberlane High School, stated.
By incorporating music streaming platforms into school chromebooks, Timberlane has found a creative compromise. Students can maintain their positive music listening experience while still respecting and obeying the goals of the new law. Thanks to Ms. Harbel, what started as a major concern has turned into an example of how schools can listen to students’ requests and find solutions that work for everyone.
