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.

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.

Disagree based on two years of juggling JV baseball and gear drop off and field usage.

Also, to the person who suggested email - most of the coaches are not FCPS teachers. Kids only have access to their school email during the school day, and only in some classes. So now you're asking coaches (who I've found to be pretty disorganized) to email one email during the school day, and use personal email or phone number or app at other times of the day.

Coaches treat these kids like they are doing them a favor by letting them be on these competitive teams. They are not going to jump through hoops to communicate with them. Which will lead to plenty of students sneaking time with their phones to try to keep up with important communication that they should be able to access without being punished.

Or, again, put some of this on the adults instead of just "punishing" kids for systems that ADULTS have put in place and taught them are indispensable.

I do agree, however, that there is a pretty big difference between checking texts or an app for a quick scheduling communication (which should be allowed), and doom scrolling or watching endless tiktok videos when you could be interacting with your peers. But I think some sort of middle ground would be appropriate.

[Anonymous]

I find that most adults (especially moms! ... sorry to be so gender biased on this one) are severely addicted to their phones, scrolling between TT/IG all day long and texting (sometimes with their kids all day long!). The worst are the SAHM moms who fill most of their day this way, so it kind of makes sense that some on here would be reacting to this change so negatively.

[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.

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.

Disagree based on two years of juggling JV baseball and gear drop off and field usage.

Also, to the person who suggested email - most of the coaches are not FCPS teachers. Kids only have access to their school email during the school day, and only in some classes. So now you're asking coaches (who I've found to be pretty disorganized) to email one email during the school day, and use personal email or phone number or app at other times of the day.

Coaches treat these kids like they are doing them a favor by letting them be on these competitive teams. They are not going to jump through hoops to communicate with them. Which will lead to plenty of students sneaking time with their phones to try to keep up with important communication that they should be able to access without being punished.

Or, again, put some of this on the adults instead of just "punishing" kids for systems that ADULTS have put in place and taught them are indispensable.

I do agree, however, that there is a pretty big difference between checking texts or an app for a quick scheduling communication (which should be allowed), and doom scrolling or watching endless tiktok videos when you could be interacting with your peers. But I think some sort of middle ground would be appropriate.

Oh, please. PP you quoted and I am eye-rolling hard here.

[Anonymous]

I think its great.

Now if only they would limit laptop usage in class.

[Anonymous]

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

Sames

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: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!

Absolutely we’re allowed to leave at lunch- so fine, no phones, but then bring back being allowed to leave at lunch.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I find that most adults (especially moms! ... sorry to be so gender biased on this one) are severely addicted to their phones, scrolling between TT/IG all day long and texting (sometimes with their kids all day long!). The worst are the SAHM moms who fill most of their day this way, so it kind of makes sense that some on here would be reacting to this change so negatively.

Are you posting here during middle of day from your job?

[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.

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.

Disagree based on two years of juggling JV baseball and gear drop off and field usage.

Also, to the person who suggested email - most of the coaches are not FCPS teachers. Kids only have access to their school email during the school day, and only in some classes. So now you're asking coaches (who I've found to be pretty disorganized) to email one email during the school day, and use personal email or phone number or app at other times of the day.

Coaches treat these kids like they are doing them a favor by letting them be on these competitive teams. They are not going to jump through hoops to communicate with them. Which will lead to plenty of students sneaking time with their phones to try to keep up with important communication that they should be able to access without being punished.

Or, again, put some of this on the adults instead of just "punishing" kids for systems that ADULTS have put in place and taught them are indispensable.

I do agree, however, that there is a pretty big difference between checking texts or an app for a quick scheduling communication (which should be allowed), and doom scrolling or watching endless tiktok videos when you could be interacting with your peers. But I think some sort of middle ground would be appropriate.

My kid accesses her regular gmail on her school computer. not hard to toggle between the two.

[Anonymous]

APS high schools already have this rule this year. There’s a place kids can go to have their phone unlocked during lunch if they need to contact their parent or employer or something. It’s been fine.

[Anonymous]

I'm fine with this. I wish they would also reduce the dependence on laptops in all the classes! It's too much.

[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.

+1

[Anonymous]

Most privates have had an all day ban in place for years-including at my kids' high school. They have done just fine and actually thrived...FCPS students will be just fine.

[Anonymous]

Eh - if I need my kid to know something I just send him an email through his school gmail. I have the password and it's how we communicated when he was at before he got a phone. I send him an email as him to himself with reminders etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I find that most adults (especially moms! ... sorry to be so gender biased on this one) are severely addicted to their phones, scrolling between TT/IG all day long and texting (sometimes with their kids all day long!). The worst are the SAHM moms who fill most of their day this way, so it kind of makes sense that some on here would be reacting to this change so negatively.

Are you posting here during middle of day from your job?

I'm a SAHM so I consider myself in this group! I know what I do all day ... so save me the spiel about how busy SAHMs are!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Eh - if I need my kid to know something I just send him an email through his school gmail. I have the password and it's how we communicated when he was at before he got a phone. I send him an email as him to himself with reminders etc.

How do you do that? I tried logging into the school account as a regular gmail and wasn't allowed to.