Cell phone ban in schools

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Started a new thread but will now ask here: a list of the MS and HSs that already have or will have a ban this upcoming school year of cellphones and wearable devices during school hours.

MCPS posted a list. Thankfully our school is not on it. They need to provide phones for students or provide pay phones. I'd be pissed if they changed my child's pick-up time and no one let us know and I'm waiting and they don't show up.

Where is the list?

Did anyone post that list?
DP.

[Anonymous]

Our principal said cell phone enforcement is being attempted at some schools as a pilot. But they are unwilling to do this on our school yet. It will be a ton of work so he wants to see more support and formal sequence of consequences first.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Started a new thread but will now ask here: a list of the MS and HSs that already have or will have a ban this upcoming school year of cellphones and wearable devices during school hours.

MCPS posted a list. Thankfully our school is not on it. They need to provide phones for students or provide pay phones. I'd be pissed if they changed my child's pick-up time and no one let us know and I'm waiting and they don't show up.

Your kid can text you at lunch, between classes or after school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Our principal said cell phone enforcement is being attempted at some schools as a pilot. But they are unwilling to do this on our school yet. It will be a ton of work so he wants to see more support and formal sequence of consequences first.

So basically he’s not willing to put in the work or enforce consequences. I’m sure most of the teachers would be in support if they knew HE would be supportive. At some point folks have to do the work if they want to see change.

[Anonymous]

https://moco360.media/2024/08/21/new-mcps-safety-measures/

“ All middle schools and high schools were invited to join the pilot and have until Sept. 2 to sign up.”

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:https://moco360.media/2024/08/21/new-mcps-safety-measures/

“ All middle schools and high schools were invited to join the pilot and have until Sept. 2 to sign up.”

Thanks for the link.

So, they won't let kids on social media on wifi, but most kids have a data plan. I'm going to monitor my kid's data usage while at school. They know they shouldn't be on their phone so much on sm at school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Started a new thread but will now ask here: a list of the MS and HSs that already have or will have a ban this upcoming school year of cellphones and wearable devices during school hours.

MCPS posted a list. Thankfully our school is not on it. They need to provide phones for students or provide pay phones. I'd be pissed if they changed my child's pick-up time and no one let us know and I'm waiting and they don't show up.

Your kid can text you at lunch, between classes or after school.

Yep. Why is that unreasonable? If something is truly an emergency, you call the office and they pull your kid out of class.

Most of us went to school long before cell phones were a thing and where the school only had 4-5 pay phones that were available to students. We survived long enough to be on this board and complain.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Started a new thread but will now ask here: a list of the MS and HSs that already have or will have a ban this upcoming school year of cellphones and wearable devices during school hours.

MCPS posted a list. Thankfully our school is not on it. They need to provide phones for students or provide pay phones. I'd be pissed if they changed my child's pick-up time and no one let us know and I'm waiting and they don't show up.

Your kid can text you at lunch, between classes or after school.

Yep. Why is that unreasonable? If something is truly an emergency, you call the office and they pull your kid out of class.

Most of us went to school long before cell phones were a thing and where the school only had 4-5 pay phones that were available to students. We survived long enough to be on this board and complain.

For elementary school, sure, not for HS.

[Anonymous]

Yes for high school. Land the helicopter! Your kid will be fine. They can still message you to coordinate pickup etc. just need to get them off the screens 24/7 so they can function!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is my experience with cell phone bans. Student is on phone, I ask them to put it away. They tell me they were just checking the time. Same thing happens next day. I am told I need to contact parent. Parent does not know how to use Synergy or Remind, so I have to call. Parent supports student by saying they were just checking the time. Student continues to check time throughout the class. Student does poorly in class. I am told I need to contact parent.

I already have too many things to do and contacting home about being on their phone is not one of the things I am going to be doing.

It sounds like the successful phone bans use Yondr-type pouches that lock away the phones as kids arrive each day. Each teacher has a pad in class, too, to unlock the pouches in classroom in the event of true need. Pouches unlock at the door as kids leave. Teachers report they love it- they are allowed to teach and not left to be the disciplinary arm of the ban, struggling against addicted children all day. I hope MCPS tries to do this correctly.

[Anonymous]

The admin wont enforce rules but they will make up stories to fire teachers who cant have control of their rooms or learning bc schools have no rules anymore and they gotta blame somebody. Ahhh. Blame the teachers. Low paid, unsupported, easy blame teachers. And the new ones dont have any union protection. Its easy to make their lives tough when they cant protect themselves from the corrupt school system.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is my experience with cell phone bans. Student is on phone, I ask them to put it away. They tell me they were just checking the time. Same thing happens next day. I am told I need to contact parent. Parent does not know how to use Synergy or Remind, so I have to call. Parent supports student by saying they were just checking the time. Student continues to check time throughout the class. Student does poorly in class. I am told I need to contact parent.

I already have too many things to do and contacting home about being on their phone is not one of the things I am going to be doing.

It sounds like the successful phone bans use Yondr-type pouches that lock away the phones as kids arrive each day. Each teacher has a pad in class, too, to unlock the pouches in classroom in the event of true need. Pouches unlock at the door as kids leave. Teachers report they love it- they are allowed to teach and not left to be the disciplinary arm of the ban, struggling against addicted children all day. I hope MCPS tries to do this correctly.

That seems fine for ES but I don’t see this working for MS and HS — it would waste like 10 minutes out of each 45 minute period. If I were a teacher I would say, if I see it, it goes in the pouch. If I don’t see it, then AFAIK it doesn’t exist.

[Anonymous]

Sorry my post above didn’t post correctly—meant to be a response to the pouch comment.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is my experience with cell phone bans. Student is on phone, I ask them to put it away. They tell me they were just checking the time. Same thing happens next day. I am told I need to contact parent. Parent does not know how to use Synergy or Remind, so I have to call. Parent supports student by saying they were just checking the time. Student continues to check time throughout the class. Student does poorly in class. I am told I need to contact parent.

I already have too many things to do and contacting home about being on their phone is not one of the things I am going to be doing.

It sounds like the successful phone bans use Yondr-type pouches that lock away the phones as kids arrive each day. Each teacher has a pad in class, too, to unlock the pouches in classroom in the event of true need. Pouches unlock at the door as kids leave. Teachers report they love it- they are allowed to teach and not left to be the disciplinary arm of the ban, struggling against addicted children all day. I hope MCPS tries to do this correctly.

That seems fine for ES but I don’t see this working for MS and HS — it would waste like 10 minutes out of each 45 minute period. If I were a teacher I would say, if I see it, it goes in the pouch. If I don’t see it, then AFAIK it doesn’t exist.

There was a middle school in NJ that seems to have had great success with it. They lock as the kids arrive at school and unlock as they leave school. Teachers never have to deal with it unless they want to.
I don’t have any personal experience with it - it just sounds like an effective solution.

https://nj1015.com/middle-school-is-latest-in-nj-to-block-cellphone-signals-during-class/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Started a new thread but will now ask here: a list of the MS and HSs that already have or will have a ban this upcoming school year of cellphones and wearable devices during school hours.

MCPS posted a list. Thankfully our school is not on it. They need to provide phones for students or provide pay phones. I'd be pissed if they changed my child's pick-up time and no one let us know and I'm waiting and they don't show up.

Where is this list?