Parent advocates who lobbied for Away All Day phone policy feel blindsided, ignored by new MCPS phone policy

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:SOURCE: https://wjla.com/news/local/montgomery-county-new-guidelines-away-all-day-students-use-cell-phones-school-changes-personal-mobile-device-mcps-cellphone-update-elementary-middle-high-instructional-time-lunch-between-classes-maryland-education-crisis-focus-parents-concerns#

MCPS parent Jeremy Joseph sent the following statement to 7News about the new cell phone update:

“Overall, this is a positive step forward at the ES and MS level and a huge step backward for HS.

Explicitly allowing HS students to have phones during lunch and passing periods is totally and completely out of step with how Superintendent Taylor handled this issue last year in Stafford County or what LA County did in February and Baltimore County does and how countries around the world (including Brazil and Denmark) are tackling this issue.

This policy is only going to put MCPS high school students further behind compared to their peers in more forward-thinking municipalities, and only further harm Montgomery County's economic growth as the kids will come out of HS less prepared.

What's most upsetting is that in late March the County promised a robust comment process and engagement in finalizing the updated policy, which did not occur.

Why did they make the decision to allow highschoolers to keep their phones during lunch and passing periods?

We don't know?

How will the phone policy be enforced differently from the prior policy?

We don't know - there is no detail provided.

And they released this policy on a Friday afternoon, which in DC is when you drop something you want to bury.

The new policy would appear to reduce principal discretion to keep phones out of schools during lunch and passing periods, which is the only proven way to reduce the distraction of the phones to improve learning outcomes, reduce fights and bullying, and promote critical face to face interactions and allow kids to make new friends unbound by their online contacts.

At a minimum, the policy should be updated to allow HS principals the discretion to adopt the proven Away All Day policies.

Forcing this lowest common denominator is deeply troubling and counterproductive.

Some principals will have the chutzpah and moral conviction to do what's right, and the policy should not limit their initiative.

But really, the county should simply do what the Superintendent did last year in Stafford County or what LA County did in February and Baltimore County and around the world (including Brazil and Denmark) - keep the phones out of the kids hands from first bell to last bell.

That's what the data shows is the right choice across all relevant metrics: security, academic learning, socio-emotional success and an inclusive school environment, for teacher retention and satisfaction and for budget reasons (20% of each HS class is taken up by policing the phones). There's no data provided that makes this policy the right long-term choice for HS students!

As you know, a group of parents submitted a petition with more than 2,000 signatures supporting Away All Day policies, including in HS.

We have not received any response from MCPS in response to our petition. We are happy to continue engaging with MCPS on these important topics.”

Good effing Lord, when are parents going to understand they're not important stakeholders in public education? They need to stop complaining about every little thing and stay in their lane. This guy sounds like a clown.

I mean, my dude has enough money to live in-bounds for Walt Whitman. He could pay for Washington Waldorf if that's what he wanted. But expecting every kid in school to follow his family's rules around screen use is ludicrous. My kids don't cover their hair or keep kosher just because some of their classmates do, nor would I expect them to follow the rules of my family.

Sorry but this logic sucks. If something is a problem in public schools, the answer isn’t “wealthy people just flee to private.” It’s “fix what’s wrong”

We do not agree that "uses phone for 15 minutes during lunch" is an actual problem in public schools. In fact, many of us think it is not. This is not something like drug use or fighting that there is widespread societal consensus on. This is "I want kids to take a horse and buggy to school instead of a bus" levels of disagreement.

[Anonymous]

It is a nightmare for high school teachers to try to police/enforce the cellphone policy while teaching and managing a class of 30+ students each period.
I wish we could have “away all day” but I don’t see it being logistically possible in mcps due to parents needing their kids to have cell phones for “safety reasons.”

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It is a nightmare for high school teachers to try to police/enforce the cellphone policy while teaching and managing a class of 30+ students each period.
I wish we could have “away all day” but I don’t see it being logistically possible in mcps due to parents needing their kids to have cell phones for “safety reasons.”

Lots of teachers tell the kids to put it away and deduct points or have a points system for the phones. Teachers need to get better management skills and have consequences. Stop blaming everyone else. If it's not the phones, its the chromebooks, daydreaming or many other things.

[Anonymous]

I'm OK with it. I do think it's VERY IMPORTANT to keep the phones off and away all day for ES and MS, because that's the most risky time for their dinosaur brains to post things that are not appropriate or bullying in nature.

Our HS did away during instruction all year so far and they actually enforce it and I think it's great. The key is enforcement: teachers need to be held accountable to hold students accountable.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm OK with it. I do think it's VERY IMPORTANT to keep the phones off and away all day for ES and MS, because that's the most risky time for their dinosaur brains to post things that are not appropriate or bullying in nature.

Our HS did away during instruction all year so far and they actually enforce it and I think it's great. The key is enforcement: teachers need to be held accountable to hold students accountable.

What school?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It is a nightmare for high school teachers to try to police/enforce the cellphone policy while teaching and managing a class of 30+ students each period.
I wish we could have “away all day” but I don’t see it being logistically possible in mcps due to parents needing their kids to have cell phones for “safety reasons.”

Lots of teachers tell the kids to put it away and deduct points or have a points system for the phones. Teachers need to get better management skills and have consequences. Stop blaming everyone else. If it's not the phones, it’s the chromebooks, daydreaming or many other things.

And people wonder why there’s a teacher shortage…

[Anonymous]

Most MCPS HS allow kids to go off campus for lunch. They absolutely should have their phones during that time for safety purposes. There are no longe pay phones around if you haven’t noticed.

Staying on campus for lunch? Put your phone away. Walking between classes? Put your phone away.

Even with phones away, the computer becomes the addicted screen. More adults are needed to micromanage and help kids break these addictions during the school. Parents need to take one the task at home

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It is a nightmare for high school teachers to try to police/enforce the cellphone policy while teaching and managing a class of 30+ students each period.
I wish we could have “away all day” but I don’t see it being logistically possible in mcps due to parents needing their kids to have cell phones for “safety reasons.”

No different than their MS counterparts that manage this. All hands on deck to go hard on enforcing rules at the beginning of the year. Any successful teacher knows that. It’s the few teachers that let kids do what they want that ruin it for all

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Raise your kids to pay attention in class, people. Or sufficiently so that they get good grades. We're an ADHD family, and even my kid with severe ADHD was able to tear himself away from his phone, listen to his teachers and do the actual work. He graduated with a 4.67 weighted GPA and a dozen APs.

Public schools do a lot for students, but at some point you need to live with system-wide decisions you won't like. Pull yourself together and deal with it.

Your kid doesn’t have severe ADHD.

PP you replied to. You want to see his neuropsychological results? You are being extremely offensive and have no clue about the hard work we put in, as a family, and the hard work he put in, plus the judicious use of Adderall.

Shame on you. Don't you dare minimize other people's struggles just because they have pushed themselves to achieve.

You actually minimize other people’s struggles when you claim that your kid has a “severe” neurodevelopmental disorder yet can get a 4.9 with multiple APs … and has no problem with distractions like cell phones. Lol.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It is a nightmare for high school teachers to try to police/enforce the cellphone policy while teaching and managing a class of 30+ students each period.
I wish we could have “away all day” but I don’t see it being logistically possible in mcps due to parents needing their kids to have cell phones for “safety reasons.”

Bring back pay phones!

[Anonymous]

I like MCPS’s policy since it seems age appropriate to differentiate between MS and HS students. I do think the policy needs to address classroom standards for keeping kids off phones. But HS kids do have many valid reasons to be checking phones at lunch or even between classes. HS students have jobs that might be contacting them, they are caregivers for younger siblings and they manage their own medical appointments. Some HS kids are in dual enrollment and traveling between locations. I am sure there are more reasons as well. Plus, once they graduate these kids will have to be able to manage phone use at college or in the workplace so teaching them appropriate use for cell phones seems more helpful to setting them up for later success. But again, yes there needs to be a standard for ensuring phones are away during class time.

[Anonymous]

Disappointing.

People should look up when walking.

Lunch is an opportunity to engage Ocasal’s out.

Really disappointing. HS teachers looking at a sea of tuned out students wearing AirPods. Booo.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:SOURCE: https://wjla.com/news/local/montgomery-county-new-guidelines-away-all-day-students-use-cell-phones-school-changes-personal-mobile-device-mcps-cellphone-update-elementary-middle-high-instructional-time-lunch-between-classes-maryland-education-crisis-focus-parents-concerns#

MCPS parent Jeremy Joseph sent the following statement to 7News about the new cell phone update:

“Overall, this is a positive step forward at the ES and MS level and a huge step backward for HS.

Explicitly allowing HS students to have phones during lunch and passing periods is totally and completely out of step with how Superintendent Taylor handled this issue last year in Stafford County or what LA County did in February and Baltimore County does and how countries around the world (including Brazil and Denmark) are tackling this issue.

This policy is only going to put MCPS high school students further behind compared to their peers in more forward-thinking municipalities, and only further harm Montgomery County's economic growth as the kids will come out of HS less prepared.

What's most upsetting is that in late March the County promised a robust comment process and engagement in finalizing the updated policy, which did not occur.

Why did they make the decision to allow highschoolers to keep their phones during lunch and passing periods?

We don't know?

How will the phone policy be enforced differently from the prior policy?

We don't know - there is no detail provided.

And they released this policy on a Friday afternoon, which in DC is when you drop something you want to bury.

The new policy would appear to reduce principal discretion to keep phones out of schools during lunch and passing periods, which is the only proven way to reduce the distraction of the phones to improve learning outcomes, reduce fights and bullying, and promote critical face to face interactions and allow kids to make new friends unbound by their online contacts.

At a minimum, the policy should be updated to allow HS principals the discretion to adopt the proven Away All Day policies.

Forcing this lowest common denominator is deeply troubling and counterproductive.

Some principals will have the chutzpah and moral conviction to do what's right, and the policy should not limit their initiative.

But really, the county should simply do what the Superintendent did last year in Stafford County or what LA County did in February and Baltimore County and around the world (including Brazil and Denmark) - keep the phones out of the kids hands from first bell to last bell.

That's what the data shows is the right choice across all relevant metrics: security, academic learning, socio-emotional success and an inclusive school environment, for teacher retention and satisfaction and for budget reasons (20% of each HS class is taken up by policing the phones). There's no data provided that makes this policy the right long-term choice for HS students!

As you know, a group of parents submitted a petition with more than 2,000 signatures supporting Away All Day policies, including in HS.

We have not received any response from MCPS in response to our petition. We are happy to continue engaging with MCPS on these important topics.”

Good effing Lord, when are parents going to understand they're not important stakeholders in public education? They need to stop complaining about every little thing and stay in their lane. This guy sounds like a clown.

I mean, my dude has enough money to live in-bounds for Walt Whitman. He could pay for Washington Waldorf if that's what he wanted. But expecting every kid in school to follow his family's rules around screen use is ludicrous. My kids don't cover their hair or keep kosher just because some of their classmates do, nor would I expect them to follow the rules of my family.

Sorry but this logic sucks. If something is a problem in public schools, the answer isn’t “wealthy people just flee to private.” It’s “fix what’s wrong”

We do not agree that "uses phone for 15 minutes during lunch" is an actual problem in public schools. In fact, many of us think it is not. This is not something like drug use or fighting that there is widespread societal consensus on. This is "I want kids to take a horse and buggy to school instead of a bus" levels of disagreement.

Then feel free to share credible reasons instead of just telling people to “go to private school,” which does not make sense.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I want my kid to have a phone for safety reasons and the rest of you need to parent better.

Who cares what you want? Home school your own kid and let them plant themselves on screens all day if you’re so worried about the safety and are convinced a cell phone will somehow allow your kid to defend themselves.

The rest of us want to follow the advice of experts and keep phones out of classrooms so they can learn.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Eh, I'm the parent of a MS and HS student and this this policy is sane and sensical.

My HS-aged kid having access to their phone at lunch is fine, actually. They can (and do) use it to help with homework, to read sports scores and share with friends, or to facilitate discussion at the meeting of a club.

I think the testimony above assumes the kids are using their phones to SnapChat or something and never look up, but they are actually using them to facilitate socialization, not to shut it down.

Your kid doesn't need a phone at lunch. If it's a true urgent issue, they can go back to their locker and send a message. It puts such a burden on school staff to police phones that are distracting kids from their education. Just make it simple and let the kids go through their school day without additional phone time.

High school kids have jobs, and doctor appointments and family responsibilities. Young adults must be empowered to be…adults.