DCPS Banning Cell Phones at all Schools for SY25-26

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I personally am good with banning all screens at school and at home until HS. Clutch your pearls - trust me this is actually better and doable.

My kids don't have devices and they are fine and social. When they get access to our devices they are fine too. No devices in bedrooms; and hours and hours of disengaging from reality.

But chrome books is 100% different than kids with phones.

1. School issued devices operate with the school wifi so guess what you can't access PORN; violent videos etc
2. Your darling kids with their phones are looking at porn. They do it on the bus; they do it in class; they show other kids.

No no my child is using the phone to watch Roblox, and cat videos and texts with their friends. No they are watching violent porn.

You must mean the poor east of the park; no your kid; west of the park with a two car family HHI family.

You give them a data plan, you put no controls on the phone and they do what kids do.

BTW saw the saddest thing; Mommy lugging DS' backpack to the car so he could sit in the front seat with his device after school. He couldn't be bothered to carry his own backpack, he had to get to his drug super quick. Pathetic.

But but I need the devices so I can work, do calls etc. 1. You don't. 2. You have trained your kid to be addicted to devices and you need to get them and you rehab.

Child survived for centuries without devices. They were bored; they figured out how to fix their boredom without their parents micromanaging them.

You overestimate the DCPS internet filters and underestimate kids’ ability to work around them.

[Anonymous]

Good policy but best of luck with schools having process and implementation with this, especially under-resourced schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I personally am good with banning all screens at school and at home until HS. Clutch your pearls - trust me this is actually better and doable.

My kids don't have devices and they are fine and social. When they get access to our devices they are fine too. No devices in bedrooms; and hours and hours of disengaging from reality.

But chrome books is 100% different than kids with phones.

1. School issued devices operate with the school wifi so guess what you can't access PORN; violent videos etc
2. Your darling kids with their phones are looking at porn. They do it on the bus; they do it in class; they show other kids.

No no my child is using the phone to watch Roblox, and cat videos and texts with their friends. No they are watching violent porn.

You must mean the poor east of the park; no your kid; west of the park with a two car family HHI family.

You give them a data plan, you put no controls on the phone and they do what kids do.

BTW saw the saddest thing; Mommy lugging DS' backpack to the car so he could sit in the front seat with his device after school. He couldn't be bothered to carry his own backpack, he had to get to his drug super quick. Pathetic.

But but I need the devices so I can work, do calls etc. 1. You don't. 2. You have trained your kid to be addicted to devices and you need to get them and you rehab.

Child survived for centuries without devices. They were bored; they figured out how to fix their boredom without their parents micromanaging them.

You overestimate the DCPS internet filters and underestimate kids’ ability to work around them.

+1. My kid at DCI reports some kids watching some wild stuff on school issued Chromebooks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I personally am good with banning all screens at school and at home until HS. Clutch your pearls - trust me this is actually better and doable.

My kids don't have devices and they are fine and social. When they get access to our devices they are fine too. No devices in bedrooms; and hours and hours of disengaging from reality.

But chrome books is 100% different than kids with phones.

1. School issued devices operate with the school wifi so guess what you can't access PORN; violent videos etc
2. Your darling kids with their phones are looking at porn. They do it on the bus; they do it in class; they show other kids.

No no my child is using the phone to watch Roblox, and cat videos and texts with their friends. No they are watching violent porn.

You must mean the poor east of the park; no your kid; west of the park with a two car family HHI family.

You give them a data plan, you put no controls on the phone and they do what kids do.

BTW saw the saddest thing; Mommy lugging DS' backpack to the car so he could sit in the front seat with his device after school. He couldn't be bothered to carry his own backpack, he had to get to his drug super quick. Pathetic.

But but I need the devices so I can work, do calls etc. 1. You don't. 2. You have trained your kid to be addicted to devices and you need to get them and you rehab.

Child survived for centuries without devices. They were bored; they figured out how to fix their boredom without their parents micromanaging them.

You overestimate the DCPS internet filters and underestimate kids’ ability to work around them.

+1. My kid at DCI reports some kids watching some wild stuff on school issued Chromebooks.

IMO Pandora’s box has already been opened and there is no way to totally stop kids from doing things on technology (per your Chromebook example)
But there’s so much research and more every year about how literally addictive cell phones are and the damage it is doing to their social skills and emotional well-being, as well as being used for cameras to record fights or bully people. By getting rid of phones during the school day, especially during breaks and lunch we are forcing kids to actually talk to each other like they used to.
Also, I know it is not the same thing, but when we were kids, people were writing notes and doing things they weren’t supposed to use, preventing them from paying attention in class, so that is always going to happen.. but in my opinion, getting rid of cell phones is a no brainer. As somebody said in a different thread, we also need to get the teachers off their phones, and I am sure most of us could use some sort of forced detox as well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I personally am good with banning all screens at school and at home until HS. Clutch your pearls - trust me this is actually better and doable.

My kids don't have devices and they are fine and social. When they get access to our devices they are fine too. No devices in bedrooms; and hours and hours of disengaging from reality.

But chrome books is 100% different than kids with phones.

1. School issued devices operate with the school wifi so guess what you can't access PORN; violent videos etc
2. Your darling kids with their phones are looking at porn. They do it on the bus; they do it in class; they show other kids.

No no my child is using the phone to watch Roblox, and cat videos and texts with their friends. No they are watching violent porn.

You must mean the poor east of the park; no your kid; west of the park with a two car family HHI family.

You give them a data plan, you put no controls on the phone and they do what kids do.

BTW saw the saddest thing; Mommy lugging DS' backpack to the car so he could sit in the front seat with his device after school. He couldn't be bothered to carry his own backpack, he had to get to his drug super quick. Pathetic.

But but I need the devices so I can work, do calls etc. 1. You don't. 2. You have trained your kid to be addicted to devices and you need to get them and you rehab.

Child survived for centuries without devices. They were bored; they figured out how to fix their boredom without their parents micromanaging them.

You overestimate the DCPS internet filters and underestimate kids’ ability to work around them.

+1. My kid at DCI reports some kids watching some wild stuff on school issued Chromebooks.

IMO Pandora’s box has already been opened and there is no way to totally stop kids from doing things on technology (per your Chromebook example)
But there’s so much research and more every year about how literally addictive cell phones are and the damage it is doing to their social skills and emotional well-being, as well as being used for cameras to record fights or bully people. By getting rid of phones during the school day, especially during breaks and lunch we are forcing kids to actually talk to each other like they used to.
Also, I know it is not the same thing, but when we were kids, people were writing notes and doing things they weren’t supposed to use, preventing them from paying attention in class, so that is always going to happen.. but in my opinion, getting rid of cell phones is a no brainer. As somebody said in a different thread, we also need to get the teachers off their phones, and I am sure most of us could use some sort of forced detox as well.

another good point - kids on phones during breaks and recording each other.

There was recently an instagram of JR kids fighting for likes. It has since been taken down.

We have seen this at our kid's elementary school. Older kids encouraging littler kids to fight and videotaping it.

Phones and devices give the kids instant gratification and hit the dopamine differently than passing a note; watching a TV show.

Kids using skills to get around filters is a skill vs. the dopamine drip that phones give them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I personally am good with banning all screens at school and at home until HS. Clutch your pearls - trust me this is actually better and doable.

My kids don't have devices and they are fine and social. When they get access to our devices they are fine too. No devices in bedrooms; and hours and hours of disengaging from reality.

But chrome books is 100% different than kids with phones.

1. School issued devices operate with the school wifi so guess what you can't access PORN; violent videos etc
2. Your darling kids with their phones are looking at porn. They do it on the bus; they do it in class; they show other kids.

No no my child is using the phone to watch Roblox, and cat videos and texts with their friends. No they are watching violent porn.

You must mean the poor east of the park; no your kid; west of the park with a two car family HHI family.

You give them a data plan, you put no controls on the phone and they do what kids do.

BTW saw the saddest thing; Mommy lugging DS' backpack to the car so he could sit in the front seat with his device after school. He couldn't be bothered to carry his own backpack, he had to get to his drug super quick. Pathetic.

But but I need the devices so I can work, do calls etc. 1. You don't. 2. You have trained your kid to be addicted to devices and you need to get them and you rehab.

Child survived for centuries without devices. They were bored; they figured out how to fix their boredom without their parents micromanaging them.

You overestimate the DCPS internet filters and underestimate kids’ ability to work around them.

+1. My kid at DCI reports some kids watching some wild stuff on school issued Chromebooks.

IMO Pandora’s box has already been opened and there is no way to totally stop kids from doing things on technology (per your Chromebook example)
But there’s so much research and more every year about how literally addictive cell phones are and the damage it is doing to their social skills and emotional well-being, as well as being used for cameras to record fights or bully people. By getting rid of phones during the school day, especially during breaks and lunch we are forcing kids to actually talk to each other like they used to.
Also, I know it is not the same thing, but when we were kids, people were writing notes and doing things they weren’t supposed to use, preventing them from paying attention in class, so that is always going to happen.. but in my opinion, getting rid of cell phones is a no brainer. As somebody said in a different thread, we also need to get the teachers off their phones, and I am sure most of us could use some sort of forced detox as well.

another good point - kids on phones during breaks and recording each other.

There was recently an instagram of JR kids fighting for likes. It has since been taken down.

We have seen this at our kid's elementary school. Older kids encouraging littler kids to fight and videotaping it.

Phones and devices give the kids instant gratification and hit the dopamine differently than passing a note; watching a TV show.

Kids using skills to get around filters is a skill vs. the dopamine drip that phones give them.

It looks like kids can still have phones on them so I doubt very much that they will stay off of them, especially during non instructional time. Students in Fairfax are required to turn in phones and a lot of them just turn in a dummy phone and keep the real phone.

[Anonymous]

I’m a DCPS elementary school teacher. I am delighted with this new policy because it clarifies the rules for parents. Phone watches are the main problem in elementary school, so I am glad that now parents will have to accept that during the school day those stay in backpacks just like phones.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is a good idea, although I'd rather see them ban all devices and eliminate learning on computers. Bring back text books!

Some students do better with tech. It should be a mix.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is a good idea, although I'd rather see them ban all devices and eliminate learning on computers. Bring back text books!

Some students do better with tech. It should be a mix.

Which students?

[Anonymous]

My kids have been at Deal with Yondr pouches and... according to my kids, students who are going to follow the rules use the pouches. Those who aren't going to follow the rules anyway figure out workarounds. I'm all in favor of the bans, and being consistent, but against spending large amounts of money on the pouches, and... wonder what the impact is on truancy, which seems like the bigger issue to work on fixing (see https://wapo.st/45wXmKI)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kids have been at Deal with Yondr pouches and... according to my kids, students who are going to follow the rules use the pouches. Those who aren't going to follow the rules anyway figure out workarounds. I'm all in favor of the bans, and being consistent, but against spending large amounts of money on the pouches, and... wonder what the impact is on truancy, which seems like the bigger issue to work on fixing (see https://wapo.st/45wXmKI)

Deal teacher here- There are far fewer planned fights with yondr pouches. It’s a huge net positive.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kids have been at Deal with Yondr pouches and... according to my kids, students who are going to follow the rules use the pouches. Those who aren't going to follow the rules anyway figure out workarounds. I'm all in favor of the bans, and being consistent, but against spending large amounts of money on the pouches, and... wonder what the impact is on truancy, which seems like the bigger issue to work on fixing (see https://wapo.st/45wXmKI)

No need for pouches when you can collect phones.

Enforcement of non-use is much easier when only a few students have phones rather than everyone.

[Anonymous]

0% chance this is enforced in high schools.