Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) has recently decided to implement a new phone policy across the school district in the 2022-2023 school year. The new rules aim to lower phone usage among teenagers across the county and create a better work environment for more engaged learners.
The new rules, as seen in “Regulation COG-RA-Personal Mobile Devices,” state that only middle school and high school-aged students may have any Personal Mobile Devices (PMD) on hand during the school day. PMDs include cell phones, headphones, tablets, laptops, smartwatches and E-Readers. Although middle school and high school students are permitted to have a PMD on hand, “it must be kept off and out of sight during school hours.” In addition, only high schoolers cannot use PMDs during lunch and between classes, the latter pending the principal’s discretion.
Elementary schools prohibit students from carrying a cell phone unless a parent requests an exception and receives approval from the principal. Other exceptions include students with special learning plans and teachers who permit PMDs for educational purposes. These rules are generally enforced by staff, though actual consequences depend on school and teacher leniency.
Students have varying opinions on the new phone policy. Winston Churchill High School freshman Lili McCowan thinks the new PMD rules aren’t unreasonable. She understands that they were put in place so students can stay focused and do better in school; however, she believes using a PMD in class may be helpful. “[Using a PMD in class] could enhance the education rather than take away from it,” McCowan said. In her ceramics class, for example, her teacher is very strict about PMDs, although she would feel more focused and engaged if she could listen to music.
Richard Montgomery High School alumni Sophie Ng and Katherine Xue are neutral about the phone policy. “It’s still the student’s fault if they fail because [they’re not paying attention],” Ng said. “Everyone uses their phones anyways and most teachers aren’t paid enough to enforce the consequences,” Xue said.
Xue thinks that a good system her history teacher enforces is making sure each student in the class has their phone in their backpack at the beginning of class. Before the bell rings, all students must have their bags outside the learning space, keeping PMDs out of reach.
Poolesville High School freshman Kareena Gupta agrees with the new policy. “Prohibiting phones during class time decreases distractions and helps students learn overall,” Gupta said. “There really is no reason to have phones out during class because students already have MCPS student-issued Chromebooks.”
On the other hand, Silver Creek Middle School eighth-grader Jacob Ruiz points out that cell phones are the only way for many students to contact their parents throughout the school day. Many students and parents think it is important to stay connected through cell phones. He also insists cell phones can be a great learning tool and can help many students thoroughly engage themselves with the course.
The new MCPS phone policy appears to be controversial. Many argue that cell phones are necessary to keep in contact and create an engaging education, while others feel that cell phones are distracting and create a less productive work environment across the county. Many wonder how or if MCPS will adjust these guidelines in the future.
Written by Malena Martin of Richard Montgomery High School
Photo courtesy of Kiana Hajikarimloo of Northwest High School