Cell phone ban in schools

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Do the high schools have closed campuses or are kids allowed to leave during lunch?

Depends on HS. I really think it’s a mistake to talk about a ban that would apply across the board k-12. No reason for a K to have a cell phone, but lots of reasons for a 12th grade.
The lunch thing is a good point — most kids will order online as they are walking out of school so they have time to pick up food and eat it. The HS don’t all have space for all kids to eat in the school but the kids don’t have time to stand in line. Teachers still of course be able to punish kids using phones during class but I don’t think you can ban cell phones outright for HS kids who may be driving, need it for communication from coaches, etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
I’m an MCPS middle school teacher. Respectfully, anyone who does not support a cell phone ban should shadow their child for a day. You need to witness firsthand how damaging the phones are and how rampantly they are used.

You may think your child doesn’t use their phone during the day, but I assure you, they do. And it is not for academic purposes. Those that claim they have access to their child’s data and phone usage… I’m here to tell you that your child is smart enough to work around being monitored. They know how to access VPNs and work around firewalls and monitoring apps. Those that don’t know quickly learn from their peers. Furthermore, even if you monitor your child’s phone, trust me when I say the parents of MOST of their friends and classmates do not. Your child could be making TikTok’s, sending snapchats, and freely accessing other social media on a classmate’s phone. Giving teens free access to social media is like building a window into their bedroom and allowing anyone in the world to talk to them and observe them freely.

If your child never uses the phone during class, as some of you claim, then you would have no reason to object to a phone ban. Your child’s phone can just remain in their pocket or bag unseen. The last thing teachers want to do is go scrounging through your child’s belongings to find a phone. We’re just trying to survive the day.

I know teachers are often viewed as the enemy, but the vast majority of us only wish positive things for your child. We want them to be safe, healthy, and successful. Personally, after witnessing the behavioral and academic decline of my students over the past few years, I am resolute that my own children will only have access to a flip phone and will attend schools that have a no cell phone policy.

I agree with basically everything you said but I’m also a little perplexed by it. My kid just finished 7th grade and she says the teachers absolutely take cell phones if they see them. One of her friends had her phone taken because she glanced at it during a passing period. (She does say some girls hang out in the bathrooms so they can use their phones.). I’m really perplexed why this varies between schools or teachers much. She does take her smart phone to school but I’m pretty positive she only checks it at lunch and then at 3, because that’s when she responds to any family texts, unless she is ill in which case she will text me from the bathroom.

That’s exactly why this post exists…. It varies between buildings/admin. We need a district wide policy that is actually enforced at every single school.

[Anonymous]

Do some students take dual enrollment classes at the local community college? I'd imagine a phone ban at the HS might make that option more attractive.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Do the high schools have closed campuses or are kids allowed to leave during lunch?

We have a closed campus but the principal is clear they don’t care if kids leave or e force it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Do some students take dual enrollment classes at the local community college? I'd imagine a phone ban at the HS might make that option more attractive.

Choosing your classes based on cell phone access is a terrible idea.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do the high schools have closed campuses or are kids allowed to leave during lunch?

Depends on HS. I really think it’s a mistake to talk about a ban that would apply across the board k-12. No reason for a K to have a cell phone, but lots of reasons for a 12th grade.
The lunch thing is a good point — most kids will order online as they are walking out of school so they have time to pick up food and eat it. The HS don’t all have space for all kids to eat in the school but the kids don’t have time to stand in line. Teachers still of course be able to punish kids using phones during class but I don’t think you can ban cell phones outright for HS kids who may be driving, need it for communication from coaches, etc.

Teachers don’t care if students have a cell phone with the sound turned off in their backpacks. Teachers don’t care if students use their phones at lunch although it would be healthier for students to chat with other students rather than being glued to their phones. What we are trying to tell you is that many students are addicted to their phones and cannot go 5 minutes in class without pulling out their phones and responding to a text or scrolling on instagram or texting their friends to ask for answers. It affects everyone in the classroom because the teacher has to constantly repeat instructions and information or spend more time helping kids who have not paid attention because they were glued to their cell phones while the teacher was teaching. The constant cell phone use creates a negative classroom environment for everyone including the teacher. Perhaps your student has all As so you don’t care but even your A student could be learning so much more in school if there was a cell phone ban in classrooms

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
I’m an MCPS middle school teacher. Respectfully, anyone who does not support a cell phone ban should shadow their child for a day. You need to witness firsthand how damaging the phones are and how rampantly they are used.

You may think your child doesn’t use their phone during the day, but I assure you, they do. And it is not for academic purposes. Those that claim they have access to their child’s data and phone usage… I’m here to tell you that your child is smart enough to work around being monitored. They know how to access VPNs and work around firewalls and monitoring apps. Those that don’t know quickly learn from their peers. Furthermore, even if you monitor your child’s phone, trust me when I say the parents of MOST of their friends and classmates do not. Your child could be making TikTok’s, sending snapchats, and freely accessing other social media on a classmate’s phone. Giving teens free access to social media is like building a window into their bedroom and allowing anyone in the world to talk to them and observe them freely.

If your child never uses the phone during class, as some of you claim, then you would have no reason to object to a phone ban. Your child’s phone can just remain in their pocket or bag unseen. The last thing teachers want to do is go scrounging through your child’s belongings to find a phone. We’re just trying to survive the day.

I know teachers are often viewed as the enemy, but the vast majority of us only wish positive things for your child. We want them to be safe, healthy, and successful. Personally, after witnessing the behavioral and academic decline of my students over the past few years, I am resolute that my own children will only have access to a flip phone and will attend schools that have a no cell phone policy.

I agree with basically everything you said but I’m also a little perplexed by it. My kid just finished 7th grade and she says the teachers absolutely take cell phones if they see them. One of her friends had her phone taken because she glanced at it during a passing period. (She does say some girls hang out in the bathrooms so they can use their phones.). I’m really perplexed why this varies between schools or teachers much. She does take her smart phone to school but I’m pretty positive she only checks it at lunch and then at 3, because that’s when she responds to any family texts, unless she is ill in which case she will text me from the bathroom.

Every school is different. That is part of the problem right now. And it varies from teacher to teacher. And high schools tend to be much more lax and have less rules than middle school

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do the high schools have closed campuses or are kids allowed to leave during lunch?

Depends on HS. I really think it’s a mistake to talk about a ban that would apply across the board k-12. No reason for a K to have a cell phone, but lots of reasons for a 12th grade.
The lunch thing is a good point — most kids will order online as they are walking out of school so they have time to pick up food and eat it. The HS don’t all have space for all kids to eat in the school but the kids don’t have time to stand in line. Teachers still of course be able to punish kids using phones during class but I don’t think you can ban cell phones outright for HS kids who may be driving, need it for communication from coaches, etc.

Teachers don’t care if students have a cell phone with the sound turned off in their backpacks. Teachers don’t care if students use their phones at lunch although it would be healthier for students to chat with other students rather than being glued to their phones. What we are trying to tell you is that many students are addicted to their phones and cannot go 5 minutes in class without pulling out their phones and responding to a text or scrolling on instagram or texting their friends to ask for answers. It affects everyone in the classroom because the teacher has to constantly repeat instructions and information or spend more time helping kids who have not paid attention because they were glued to their cell phones while the teacher was teaching. The constant cell phone use creates a negative classroom environment for everyone including the teacher. Perhaps your student has all As so you don’t care but even your A student could be learning so much more in school if there was a cell phone ban in classrooms

+1 well stated.

My kid tells me that they only pull out their phone when they are done with their assignments (probably lying but I can only take it at face value), but that other kids are easily distracted by their phones (I'm sure my kid is, too). They have some AP classes and some not, and this is an across the board issue. If it was just one or two kids having this issue it would be a lot easier for the teacher to manage, but when you have 30 kids in the class, and the majority have their phones out, it's a lot harder to manage that.

Even if I take the phone away from my kid, if the other 29 kids have their phones, that doesn't really help the entire class, including my kid.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
I’m an MCPS middle school teacher. Respectfully, anyone who does not support a cell phone ban should shadow their child for a day. You need to witness firsthand how damaging the phones are and how rampantly they are used.

You may think your child doesn’t use their phone during the day, but I assure you, they do. And it is not for academic purposes. Those that claim they have access to their child’s data and phone usage… I’m here to tell you that your child is smart enough to work around being monitored. They know how to access VPNs and work around firewalls and monitoring apps. Those that don’t know quickly learn from their peers. Furthermore, even if you monitor your child’s phone, trust me when I say the parents of MOST of their friends and classmates do not. Your child could be making TikTok’s, sending snapchats, and freely accessing other social media on a classmate’s phone. Giving teens free access to social media is like building a window into their bedroom and allowing anyone in the world to talk to them and observe them freely.

If your child never uses the phone during class, as some of you claim, then you would have no reason to object to a phone ban. Your child’s phone can just remain in their pocket or bag unseen. The last thing teachers want to do is go scrounging through your child’s belongings to find a phone. We’re just trying to survive the day.

I know teachers are often viewed as the enemy, but the vast majority of us only wish positive things for your child. We want them to be safe, healthy, and successful. Personally, after witnessing the behavioral and academic decline of my students over the past few years, I am resolute that my own children will only have access to a flip phone and will attend schools that have a no cell phone policy.

If you have an issue, reach out to the parents vs. complaining about it. Yes, we can track. There are data trackers on the phones showing usage, you can see your child's posts and likes when you go on their accounts, etc. You can see when they turn on and off the vpn.

I am fine with a teacher taking the phone and holding it or giving it to the office for the rest of the day and we will get it from them at school pick up. If they don't hand it over, there are consequences at home. If I hear of phone use during classes, there are consequences.

Our school tells them to use their digital ID to check in and other things.

Respectfully, please shadow your child for a day and see for yourself. I assure you, your child is negatively impacted by the lack of cell phone ban. Every child is.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
I’m an MCPS middle school teacher. Respectfully, anyone who does not support a cell phone ban should shadow their child for a day. You need to witness firsthand how damaging the phones are and how rampantly they are used.

You may think your child doesn’t use their phone during the day, but I assure you, they do. And it is not for academic purposes. Those that claim they have access to their child’s data and phone usage… I’m here to tell you that your child is smart enough to work around being monitored. They know how to access VPNs and work around firewalls and monitoring apps. Those that don’t know quickly learn from their peers. Furthermore, even if you monitor your child’s phone, trust me when I say the parents of MOST of their friends and classmates do not. Your child could be making TikTok’s, sending snapchats, and freely accessing other social media on a classmate’s phone. Giving teens free access to social media is like building a window into their bedroom and allowing anyone in the world to talk to them and observe them freely.

If your child never uses the phone during class, as some of you claim, then you would have no reason to object to a phone ban. Your child’s phone can just remain in their pocket or bag unseen. The last thing teachers want to do is go scrounging through your child’s belongings to find a phone. We’re just trying to survive the day.

I know teachers are often viewed as the enemy, but the vast majority of us only wish positive things for your child. We want them to be safe, healthy, and successful. Personally, after witnessing the behavioral and academic decline of my students over the past few years, I am resolute that my own children will only have access to a flip phone and will attend schools that have a no cell phone policy.

I agree with basically everything you said but I’m also a little perplexed by it. My kid just finished 7th grade and she says the teachers absolutely take cell phones if they see them. One of her friends had her phone taken because she glanced at it during a passing period. (She does say some girls hang out in the bathrooms so they can use their phones.). I’m really perplexed why this varies between schools or teachers much. She does take her smart phone to school but I’m pretty positive she only checks it at lunch and then at 3, because that’s when she responds to any family texts, unless she is ill in which case she will text me from the bathroom.

Every school is different. That is part of the problem right now. And it varies from teacher to teacher. And high schools tend to be much more lax and have less rules than middle school

I'm coming from a different state and during my interview at an MCPS HS I asked what the cellphone policy was...both the principal and AP just kind of shrugged their shoulders and said "the pin is out of the grenade at this point." Coming from a district with a cell phone policy that only allows students to use their phones at lunch, I was kind of taken aback by the lackadaisical attitude. Needless to say, I did not accept the offer. I opted for private instead, but my kids are going to MCPS schools and I'm not really thrilled about this. I agree with all the posters stating parents need to visit classrooms if they don't understand the magnitude of cellphones affecting learning.

[Anonymous]

Let's be clear. There is no cell phone ban in schools and nobody is doing this. IMO, it's mostly a waste of time anyway.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Let's be clear. There is no cell phone ban in schools and nobody is doing this. IMO, it's mostly a waste of time anyway.

? nobody in MCPS, that's the problem but there are other school districts banning phones in class, and they have seen some success. Google it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do the high schools have closed campuses or are kids allowed to leave during lunch?

Depends on HS. I really think it’s a mistake to talk about a ban that would apply across the board k-12. No reason for a K to have a cell phone, but lots of reasons for a 12th grade.
The lunch thing is a good point — most kids will order online as they are walking out of school so they have time to pick up food and eat it. The HS don’t all have space for all kids to eat in the school but the kids don’t have time to stand in line. Teachers still of course be able to punish kids using phones during class but I don’t think you can ban cell phones outright for HS kids who may be driving, need it for communication from coaches, etc.

Teachers don’t care if students have a cell phone with the sound turned off in their backpacks. Teachers don’t care if students use their phones at lunch although it would be healthier for students to chat with other students rather than being glued to their phones. What we are trying to tell you is that many students are addicted to their phones and cannot go 5 minutes in class without pulling out their phones and responding to a text or scrolling on instagram or texting their friends to ask for answers. It affects everyone in the classroom because the teacher has to constantly repeat instructions and information or spend more time helping kids who have not paid attention because they were glued to their cell phones while the teacher was teaching. The constant cell phone use creates a negative classroom environment for everyone including the teacher. Perhaps your student has all As so you don’t care but even your A student could be learning so much more in school if there was a cell phone ban in classrooms

+1 well stated.

My kid tells me that they only pull out their phone when they are done with their assignments (probably lying but I can only take it at face value), but that other kids are easily distracted by their phones (I'm sure my kid is, too). They have some AP classes and some not, and this is an across the board issue. If it was just one or two kids having this issue it would be a lot easier for the teacher to manage, but when you have 30 kids in the class, and the majority have their phones out, it's a lot harder to manage that.

Even if I take the phone away from my kid, if the other 29 kids have their phones, that doesn't really help the entire class, including my kid.

I put parental controls on my kids phone so even they did pull it out they can only make calls with it during school hours. Not really my place to parent other people's kids. I would also rather not burden teachers with enforcing yet another policy that they can't really enforce because there are no consequences. Kids can just say no and do what they want. It will cause more problems and even less learning will get done.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Let's be clear. There is no cell phone ban in schools and nobody is doing this. IMO, it's mostly a waste of time anyway.

Your opinion doesn't dictate policy. It could definitely happen, especially under the new superintendent. Instead of being smug about it, I suggest you begin to plan accordingly. There's already an MCPS policy in place; however, it's not been uniformly enforced. That is what people want.

Nobody is doing this? I think you should probably read the news once in awhile. You might learn something.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Let's be clear. There is no cell phone ban in schools and nobody is doing this. IMO, it's mostly a waste of time anyway.

? nobody in MCPS, that's the problem but there are other school districts banning phones in class, and they have seen some success. Google it.

I recently read that schools in Oklahoma are now teaching the 10 commandments. That doesn't make it a good idea. There are also many school districts that don't have ridiculous cell phone policies. Google it!