Banning and confiscating phones?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Until the GOP stops the craziness with guns they need their phones. It is now a fact of life. Thanks MAGA/Conservative crap.

Gun owner.

Since gun reform is off the table, maybe we can blame phones.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Kinda s/o to the fights and drugs threads.

Can the county ban cell phones in schools? I went to high school in the 90s and electronics were banned like beepers and the old brick cell phones. If somebody had a beeper, it would be confiscated and returned at the end of the day.

Hypothetically, yes. In reality, no.

[Anonymous]

I don't think an outright ban has enough political consensus to pass.

As it stands, MCPS has a toothless cell phone policy which SAYS kids aren't supposed to use them during class and only before, after school and lunch. But they have no way to enforce it so they do what they want and when they want.

I don't know what the solution is, because turning teachers into the cell phone police doesn't work either. So we're stuck with the current state of affairs unless someone can come up with a solution that the majority of parents, teachers, students and administrators can tolerate. Which has been pretty much Mission Impossible for the last decade.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am OP, I am screen addicted and know this and it’s not good.

I also want to be in touch with my kids if I need to and the phones are for their safety, which is why they have phones. I have told them, drilled into them and shared my expectations that they are not to use their phones during class time. They can during the transition periods, lunch, before, and after school, etc. So if a teacher catches them with their phones. I would be OK with the phones been confiscated. Or even limiting cell phone used to before or after school or lunch.

I am pro consequences when kids break rules and classroom expectations. And if the school band phones, then I can get on board. My question really does stem from the contributing factor that phones are playing in drugs, fights, and bullying at school.

Thing is that parents are going to expect MCPS to be the guardian of the phones with no losses or damage which is a huge cost in both time and money. It’s just not worth it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am OP, I am screen addicted and know this and it’s not good.

I also want to be in touch with my kids if I need to and the phones are for their safety, which is why they have phones. I have told them, drilled into them and shared my expectations that they are not to use their phones during class time. They can during the transition periods, lunch, before, and after school, etc. So if a teacher catches them with their phones. I would be OK with the phones been confiscated. Or even limiting cell phone used to before or after school or lunch.

I am pro consequences when kids break rules and classroom expectations. And if the school band phones, then I can get on board. My question really does stem from the contributing factor that phones are playing in drugs, fights, and bullying at school.

I have two kids in HS. A lot of teachers don't care if the kids use the phones. So, if you are relying on your kid's honor system to not use their phone during class, well... I got a bridge to sell you.

I wouldn't put it in quite that way. There are some "cool teachers" use a permissive cell phone policy posture to earn the kids trust and cooperation. But there are more teachers who would like the cell phones to be removed as a distraction, but aren't willing to put themselves in harm's way and direct conflict with kids (and their parents) who can flip out and lash out verbally and physically. It's not safe or fair to make teachers the cell phone police.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am OP, I am screen addicted and know this and it’s not good.

I also want to be in touch with my kids if I need to and the phones are for their safety, which is why they have phones. I have told them, drilled into them and shared my expectations that they are not to use their phones during class time. They can during the transition periods, lunch, before, and after school, etc. So if a teacher catches them with their phones. I would be OK with the phones been confiscated. Or even limiting cell phone used to before or after school or lunch.

I am pro consequences when kids break rules and classroom expectations. And if the school band phones, then I can get on board. My question really does stem from the contributing factor that phones are playing in drugs, fights, and bullying at school.

Thing is that parents are going to expect MCPS to be the guardian of the phones with no losses or damage which is a huge cost in both time and money. It’s just not worth it.

YUP! That's another good point too. If MCPS takes the phones, now they're liable for what happens to it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am OP, I am screen addicted and know this and it’s not good.

I also want to be in touch with my kids if I need to and the phones are for their safety, which is why they have phones. I have told them, drilled into them and shared my expectations that they are not to use their phones during class time. They can during the transition periods, lunch, before, and after school, etc. So if a teacher catches them with their phones. I would be OK with the phones been confiscated. Or even limiting cell phone used to before or after school or lunch.

I am pro consequences when kids break rules and classroom expectations. And if the school band phones, then I can get on board. My question really does stem from the contributing factor that phones are playing in drugs, fights, and bullying at school.

Thing is that parents are going to expect MCPS to be the guardian of the phones with no losses or damage which is a huge cost in both time and money. It’s just not worth it.

Instead, maybe they need to focus on education instead of catering to some crazy Luddite fantasy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't think an outright ban has enough political consensus to pass.

As it stands, MCPS has a toothless cell phone policy which SAYS kids aren't supposed to use them during class and only before, after school and lunch. But they have no way to enforce it so they do what they want and when they want.

I don't know what the solution is, because turning teachers into the cell phone police doesn't work either. So we're stuck with the current state of affairs unless someone can come up with a solution that the majority of parents, teachers, students and administrators can tolerate. Which has been pretty much Mission Impossible for the last decade.

Op here and I agree with this. Because when I was in school, only a handful had beepers but now almost every kid has a phone. It’s not fair to turn teachers into electronic police. I’m just work shopping solutions to these ever-growing problems given this morning’s security communication.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't think an outright ban has enough political consensus to pass.

As it stands, MCPS has a toothless cell phone policy which SAYS kids aren't supposed to use them during class and only before, after school and lunch. But they have no way to enforce it so they do what they want and when they want.

I don't know what the solution is, because turning teachers into the cell phone police doesn't work either. So we're stuck with the current state of affairs unless someone can come up with a solution that the majority of parents, teachers, students and administrators can tolerate. Which has been pretty much Mission Impossible for the last decade.

Op here and I agree with this. Because when I was in school, only a handful had beepers but now almost every kid has a phone. It’s not fair to turn teachers into electronic police. I’m just work shopping solutions to these ever-growing problems given this morning’s security communication.

Which is why I stated that the BOE has to implement the policy of no phone in class. The phone pouches are a good way to do this. The teachers can have the device to unlock their phones in case of an emergency. Otherwise, the kids have their phones but cannot use them as they are locked in the pouch.

[Anonymous]

There is something you can do as a parent. Take your kid’s phone if the screen time is excessive during the school day. I don’t monitor screen time but I do have life 360, which provides battery usage. If the battery usage is at 20% at 3 pm when it was fully charged at 7 am, something is up. My kid absolutely hates when I take the phone the next day, but I don’t have a choice. It sucks. Still, they have their chromebooks and can always reach you that way.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't think an outright ban has enough political consensus to pass.

As it stands, MCPS has a toothless cell phone policy which SAYS kids aren't supposed to use them during class and only before, after school and lunch. But they have no way to enforce it so they do what they want and when they want.

I don't know what the solution is, because turning teachers into the cell phone police doesn't work either. So we're stuck with the current state of affairs unless someone can come up with a solution that the majority of parents, teachers, students and administrators can tolerate. Which has been pretty much Mission Impossible for the last decade.

Op here and I agree with this. Because when I was in school, only a handful had beepers but now almost every kid has a phone. It’s not fair to turn teachers into electronic police. I’m just work shopping solutions to these ever-growing problems given this morning’s security communication.

Which is why I stated that the BOE has to implement the policy of no phone in class. The phone pouches are a good way to do this. The teachers can have the device to unlock their phones in case of an emergency. Otherwise, the kids have their phones but cannot use them as they are locked in the pouch.

Then this might be a good solution. You know the county has money to buy them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am OP, I am screen addicted and know this and it’s not good.

I also want to be in touch with my kids if I need to and the phones are for their safety, which is why they have phones. I have told them, drilled into them and shared my expectations that they are not to use their phones during class time. They can during the transition periods, lunch, before, and after school, etc. So if a teacher catches them with their phones. I would be OK with the phones been confiscated. Or even limiting cell phone used to before or after school or lunch.

I am pro consequences when kids break rules and classroom expectations. And if the school band phones, then I can get on board. My question really does stem from the contributing factor that phones are playing in drugs, fights, and bullying at school.

All those things happened before phones.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There is something you can do as a parent. Take your kid’s phone if the screen time is excessive during the school day. I don’t monitor screen time but I do have life 360, which provides battery usage. If the battery usage is at 20% at 3 pm when it was fully charged at 7 am, something is up. My kid absolutely hates when I take the phone the next day, but I don’t have a choice. It sucks. Still, they have their chromebooks and can always reach you that way.

That would be parenting and most parents don’t do that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There is something you can do as a parent. Take your kid’s phone if the screen time is excessive during the school day. I don’t monitor screen time but I do have life 360, which provides battery usage. If the battery usage is at 20% at 3 pm when it was fully charged at 7 am, something is up. My kid absolutely hates when I take the phone the next day, but I don’t have a choice. It sucks. Still, they have their chromebooks and can always reach you that way.

That would be parenting and most parents don’t do that.

How can something that most parents don't do be "parenting"?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't think an outright ban has enough political consensus to pass.

As it stands, MCPS has a toothless cell phone policy which SAYS kids aren't supposed to use them during class and only before, after school and lunch. But they have no way to enforce it so they do what they want and when they want.

I don't know what the solution is, because turning teachers into the cell phone police doesn't work either. So we're stuck with the current state of affairs unless someone can come up with a solution that the majority of parents, teachers, students and administrators can tolerate. Which has been pretty much Mission Impossible for the last decade.

Op here and I agree with this. Because when I was in school, only a handful had beepers but now almost every kid has a phone. It’s not fair to turn teachers into electronic police. I’m just work shopping solutions to these ever-growing problems given this morning’s security communication.

Which is why I stated that the BOE has to implement the policy of no phone in class. The phone pouches are a good way to do this. The teachers can have the device to unlock their phones in case of an emergency. Otherwise, the kids have their phones but cannot use them as they are locked in the pouch.

Seems like there are almost an unlimited number of better uses of their time.