Montgomery County schools tighten cell phone rules for students
Montgomery County schools tighten cell phone rules for students
A stricter cell phone policy is coming to Montgomery County schools this year. The aim is to reduce screen time and boost student focus and engagement by limiting distractions.
MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Md. - A stricter cell phone policy is coming to Montgomery County schools this year.
The aim is to reduce screen time and boost student focus and engagement by limiting distractions.
What we know:
Several school districts across the DMV have already introduced cell phone policies — and now Montgomery County is finalizing new, stricter guidelines to theirs.
Friday afternoon, the school board worked through the details of changes approved back in May — changes that will impact all grade levels starting this fall.
Under the previous policy, students could use phones in class for schoolwork — and middle and high schoolers were allowed to use them during lunch and between classes.
The new policy is much stricter.
All students must keep their phones turned off and out of sight during class time. Elementary and middle school students cannot have phones out at all during the school day.
High schoolers will still be allowed to use their phones at lunch and between classes — but not during class instruction.
The policy will be communicated to the community during back-to-school events, and parents will receive the same information shared with their kids at school — including disciplinary measures for students who don’t comply.
What they're saying:
MCPS Chief of Schools Peter Moran detailed the repurcussions for repeat offenses.
"The first offense being a warning. The second offense, at this particular school, the cell phone is placed in a locked pouch for the rest of the day.
The third offense, the phone is automatically placed in a lock pouch when they enter the building.
The fourth, a parent-administrator conference face-to-face before the student can get the phone back.
And the fifth, the student will have to place their phone in a locked pouch every day going forward, because they just haven’t been able to handle it."
Principals say it rarely escalates to that fourth or fifth level. And when the plan was initially shared with parents, it received overwhelming support.
The biggest concern? Emergency situations, like a lockdown.
But school officials say they’ve improved communication — promising updates to parents every 15 minutes — which they believe removes the need for students to have their phones.