New cell phone policy for 2026-2027

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What is so important during the day that they need their phones. Kids went without phones at school for decades. We all survived.

You must not have high school students. I would have said the same thing a few years ago, but my kids check their phones at the lunch break because their coaches text and message through apps during the day to tell them about practice, bus times for games, changes for weather, changes because of field scheduling issues, etc.
I personally have texted high school babysitters during the day to tell them of changes for the afternoon/evening. Communication has changed dramatically since the 1990s, and expectations of being able to get in touch have as well - for better or worse.

I agree that I don't want my teens on their phones all day and I think it's 100% appropriate to have the phones away during classes, but they should be able to check in during lunch. That's just how the world communicates now.

I guess coaches, bosses, etc. are going to have to get used to this and communicate differently as well.

Other clubs communicate during day through instagram and texting appa that are blocked/not available to access on laptops. A good change would be for HS to not push instagram as communication tool but ridiculous to say no phones when that’s how majority of clubs and activities are communicating in HS.

Contact your state government representatives. They are the ones who passed this law.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What is so important during the day that they need their phones. Kids went without phones at school for decades. We all survived.

You must not have high school students. I would have said the same thing a few years ago, but my kids check their phones at the lunch break because their coaches text and message through apps during the day to tell them about practice, bus times for games, changes for weather, changes because of field scheduling issues, etc.
I personally have texted high school babysitters during the day to tell them of changes for the afternoon/evening. Communication has changed dramatically since the 1990s, and expectations of being able to get in touch have as well - for better or worse.

I agree that I don't want my teens on their phones all day and I think it's 100% appropriate to have the phones away during classes, but they should be able to check in during lunch. That's just how the world communicates now.

I guess coaches, bosses, etc. are going to have to get used to this and communicate differently as well.

Other clubs communicate during day through instagram and texting appa that are blocked/not available to access on laptops. A good change would be for HS to not push instagram as communication tool but ridiculous to say no phones when that’s how majority of clubs and activities are communicating in HS.

Coaches could just use email. The kids access school email from laptops. Problem solved. Coaches should never have been using social media and message apps to communicate with students anyway.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What is so important during the day that they need their phones. Kids went without phones at school for decades. We all survived.

You must not have high school students. I would have said the same thing a few years ago, but my kids check their phones at the lunch break because their coaches text and message through apps during the day to tell them about practice, bus times for games, changes for weather, changes because of field scheduling issues, etc.
I personally have texted high school babysitters during the day to tell them of changes for the afternoon/evening. Communication has changed dramatically since the 1990s, and expectations of being able to get in touch have as well - for better or worse.

I agree that I don't want my teens on their phones all day and I think it's 100% appropriate to have the phones away during classes, but they should be able to check in during lunch. That's just how the world communicates now.

I guess coaches, bosses, etc. are going to have to get used to this and communicate differently as well.

Other clubs communicate during day through instagram and texting appa that are blocked/not available to access on laptops. A good change would be for HS to not push instagram as communication tool but ridiculous to say no phones when that’s how majority of clubs and activities are communicating in HS.

Coaches could just use email. The kids access school email from laptops. Problem solved. Coaches should never have been using social media and message apps to communicate with students anyway.

They don’t have time to check email on their bulky laptop during lunch. What a stupid idea. They should be allowed to check their phone for texts or email at lunch.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What is so important during the day that they need their phones. Kids went without phones at school for decades. We all survived.

You must not have high school students. I would have said the same thing a few years ago, but my kids check their phones at the lunch break because their coaches text and message through apps during the day to tell them about practice, bus times for games, changes for weather, changes because of field scheduling issues, etc.
I personally have texted high school babysitters during the day to tell them of changes for the afternoon/evening. Communication has changed dramatically since the 1990s, and expectations of being able to get in touch have as well - for better or worse.

I agree that I don't want my teens on their phones all day and I think it's 100% appropriate to have the phones away during classes, but they should be able to check in during lunch. That's just how the world communicates now.

I guess coaches, bosses, etc. are going to have to get used to this and communicate differently as well.

Other clubs communicate during day through instagram and texting appa that are blocked/not available to access on laptops. A good change would be for HS to not push instagram as communication tool but ridiculous to say no phones when that’s how majority of clubs and activities are communicating in HS.

Coaches could just use email. The kids access school email from laptops. Problem solved. Coaches should never have been using social media and message apps to communicate with students anyway.

They don’t have time to check email on their bulky laptop during lunch. What a stupid idea. They should be allowed to check their phone for texts or email at lunch.

They are on their laptops and see their fcps email in almost all of their classes. They literally use it in class. They don't have to take additional time to check it during lunch. The childish, dismissive, and rude way that you responded to my comment is all the more reason that teenagers don't need any more time on their phones being exposed to the gross way that humans speak to each other through screens. They grow up learning that this is the way humans talk to each other, which is pretty sad.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What is so important during the day that they need their phones. Kids went without phones at school for decades. We all survived.

You must not have high school students. I would have said the same thing a few years ago, but my kids check their phones at the lunch break because their coaches text and message through apps during the day to tell them about practice, bus times for games, changes for weather, changes because of field scheduling issues, etc.
I personally have texted high school babysitters during the day to tell them of changes for the afternoon/evening. Communication has changed dramatically since the 1990s, and expectations of being able to get in touch have as well - for better or worse.

I agree that I don't want my teens on their phones all day and I think it's 100% appropriate to have the phones away during classes, but they should be able to check in during lunch. That's just how the world communicates now.

I guess coaches, bosses, etc. are going to have to get used to this and communicate differently as well.

I have HS students who do school sports, club sports and have jobs. They can get these messages after school and still have time to adjust plans accordingly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What is so important during the day that they need their phones. Kids went without phones at school for decades. We all survived.

You must not have high school students. I would have said the same thing a few years ago, but my kids check their phones at the lunch break because their coaches text and message through apps during the day to tell them about practice, bus times for games, changes for weather, changes because of field scheduling issues, etc.
I personally have texted high school babysitters during the day to tell them of changes for the afternoon/evening. Communication has changed dramatically since the 1990s, and expectations of being able to get in touch have as well - for better or worse.

I agree that I don't want my teens on their phones all day and I think it's 100% appropriate to have the phones away during classes, but they should be able to check in during lunch. That's just how the world communicates now.

I guess coaches, bosses, etc. are going to have to get used to this and communicate differently as well.

Other clubs communicate during day through instagram and texting appa that are blocked/not available to access on laptops. A good change would be for HS to not push instagram as communication tool but ridiculous to say no phones when that’s how majority of clubs and activities are communicating in HS.

Coaches could just use email. The kids access school email from laptops. Problem solved. Coaches should never have been using social media and message apps to communicate with students anyway.

They don’t have time to check email on their bulky laptop during lunch. What a stupid idea. They should be allowed to check their phone for texts or email at lunch.

They are on their laptops and see their fcps email in almost all of their classes. They literally use it in class. They don't have to take additional time to check it during lunch. The childish, dismissive, and rude way that you responded to my comment is all the more reason that teenagers don't need any more time on their phones being exposed to the gross way that humans speak to each other through screens. They grow up learning that this is the way humans talk to each other, which is pretty sad.

That is false. Some classes they do not actually use laptops, like PE and possibly science during a lab. Also in a lot of math classes they do not automatically have their laptops out. Also band or orchestra. So no, they do not all have laptops open and roaring to go at the start of class in all of their classes and have time to check email. They could easily miss an email communication depending on when it is sent. In addition, some teachers make a point to say no other tabs can be open while they are working on stuff - you could get in serious trouble for checking email at that point.

Kids should be able to use their phones during lunch.

[Anonymous]

I guess I have to buy my kid a dumb watch now because her smart watch won’t be allowed either.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Now high school kids can’t even use their phone at lunch. Are you kidding me?? How ridiculous.

Great idea. The less they use their devices, the better. It’s a privilege, not a right.

Their lunch is their free time. Teachers are on their phones all fu$king day at school.

How many times do you people have to be told that TEACHERS AND STUDENTS ARE NOT EQUALS.

Teachers are adults whose frontal lobes are fully developed. Students are children who are still developing the ability to use their brains.

Stop comparing teachers and children.

I see nothing wrong with a student using their phone at lunch to play a game or even text someone. Or to simply let their parent know they have to stay after. This is too much.

But yet they are allowed to use laptops on a daily basis for instruction.

This.

[Anonymous]

yes to the person who mentioned pay phones. WE HAD THEM! kids made calls to their parents during lunch. Heck we could leave for lunch, we could go outside. We were treated like adults!

[Anonymous]

Phones are being banned across the country, and more and more school districts are hearing from teachers and administrators just how serious the problem has become—students can’t concentrate or put their phones away during class. Teachers are stuck filling out forms, getting into confrontations, and losing valuable instruction time because of disruptive phone use. And that’s not even getting into the amount of cheating enabled by phones...that’s a whole other can of worms.

FCPS is doing what most districts are starting to do, what many private schools have long done, and what neuroscientists and psychologists broadly support: limiting phone use throughout the entire school day. It’s the right call!

If you’re a parent complaining about this change, stop doomscrolling and actually read up on the issue. Do what’s right for your child and for others. Stop being the $#%-wad who refuses to understand the harm phones cause during the school day.

[Anonymous]

Kids sometimes use lunch time to study and need to watch videos on their phone - such as Heimler review videos for APUSH. It was incredibly helpful for my student to be able to use lunch time for a quick review. Often these videos are blocked on school computers.

[Anonymous]

I don’t support this unless we ban all screens, including laptops, for the entire day.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Phones are being banned across the country, and more and more school districts are hearing from teachers and administrators just how serious the problem has become—students can’t concentrate or put their phones away during class. Teachers are stuck filling out forms, getting into confrontations, and losing valuable instruction time because of disruptive phone use. And that’s not even getting into the amount of cheating enabled by phones...that’s a whole other can of worms.

FCPS is doing what most districts are starting to do, what many private schools have long done, and what neuroscientists and psychologists broadly support: limiting phone use throughout the entire school day. It’s the right call!

If you’re a parent complaining about this change, stop doomscrolling and actually read up on the issue. Do what’s right for your child and for others. Stop being the $#%-wad who refuses to understand the harm phones cause during the school day.

My kid is at an away-for-the-day private. The kids interact in person all day. The school also uses laptops less (not never, but less) than FCPS in-class. It helps the overall environment so much.

And there are solutions for each and every one of the issues raised here, from last minute sports changes to calling home. There really are.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Kids sometimes use lunch time to study and need to watch videos on their phone - such as Heimler review videos for APUSH. It was incredibly helpful for my student to be able to use lunch time for a quick review. Often these videos are blocked on school computers.

Heimler is not blocked on school computers. Sigh. Neither is most educational content. Good one!

[Anonymous]

The people in this thread arguing for the phones are either teenagers or adults addicted to their screens.

This is a good thing.

We messed people up with unfettered access to screens and we should embrace attempts to undo the damage.