Elementary Students at MCPS Could Bring Cell Phones to Class Under Proposed Changes to Phone Use Policies

By Heather Curtis

WMAL.com

WASHINGTON – Students in Montgomery County Public Schools have spoken out against the school system’s cell phone use policies, and the board of education has listened and proposed revisions to its regulations.

“It’s been an evolutionary process, and the principals have been very slow in this process of coming forward to what the reality is,” said board of education member Patricia O’Neill.

The proposed changes would allow elementary school kids to bring phones to school as long as they’re kept off and stowed away during the day. Current rules prohibit elementary school students from having cell phones without permission from parents and the principal.

Students of all ages would be prohibited from turning their phones on during the school day with some exceptions. Phones could be used during class if teachers allow their use as part of lessons, and students could browse the net or send texts, or make calls, if any of them use phones to do that anymore, while riding school busses.

The rules are most lenient for high school students who could use them during their lunch periods.

Students using phones at any of these times would be required to use school networks, which filter out inappropriate websites.

“When students are on our network, it permits action if there are problems, but I think it gives more of ability to monitor if we need to,” said board member Eric Guerci.

Any violation of the rules would allow school officials to take away phones.