Many students want change to cell policy.
This past Thursday, January 30, the Howard County Board of Education approved a policy change that has caused upset among students. The change will restrict cell phone usage of students during the day, requiring them to be off and away from the first bell of the school day until the last. This change was proposed as a way to limit distractions among students.
The policy is scheduled to go into effect March 3, giving schools enough time to communicate the change and create the necessary awareness to students, and implement the resources needed.
Currently, high school students are allowed to use their cell phones during lunch, in the halls, and in class only with the teacher’s permission. Middle school students can only have phones out for special events, and elementary school students are required to keep them in their backpacks. The new policy would require all phones to be “away and silenced” for a full student day, which is “from the first bell of the day to the last bell of the day.” There are exceptions for students if cell phone use is approved in their Individualized Education Plan (IEP) and/or 504 plan, which focuses on helping students with disabilities. Also, smartwatches can be worn as long as they’re not a distraction.
The policy change was passed after a 7-1 vote from the Board of Education on January 30, with most Board members such as Chairperson Jennifer Mallo being supportive of the changes for the sake of student productivity.
“If cell phones weren’t a problem in the classroom, we wouldn’t even be having this discussion,” said Mallo. “We’re doing this for our students’ well-being, and for the productive lives that they can move towards with this policy.”
The Lone Dissenting Voice
Chair Jolene Mosley, who voted no to the changes, voiced concerns with the changes, such as a necessity for students to be able to communicate with their parents.
“I think in these times of uncertainty, taking that away, where a student in high school cannot check their phone during lunch and in between classes, can be dangerous,” said Mosley.
Brian Bassett, the director of Communication and Engagement in Howard County Public Schools, was the person who pitched the policy changes to the Board. The idea for these changes goes back all the way to the end of summer 2024, when the plan for cell phone policy changes was first proposed, beginning with data collection in the fall by forming large work groups of community members.
“I just wanted to make sure that the makeup of the work group was really representative,” said Bassett, saying the work groups weren’t mostly students, staff or parents, and acted as a true representation of members of the Howard County Public School System.
Work Groups Helped Put Policy in Place
These work groups, along with surveys conducted among teachers, students, parents, and other relevant members of the county, suggested that students would benefit academically from further restrictions of personal device use during the school day. One thing Bassett noted was that based on the data collected, the recommended restrictions for high school students would be different than restrictions for middle and elementary school students, allowing high school students freedom to use their devices during non-instructional time, including lunches and between classes. The Board Policy Committee was responsible for the adjustment so that the restriction would apply to all schools.
The Voice of the Students
Student reactions to this change have been mostly negative, especially from high school students. Long Reach High School Student Government Association member Gavin Falcón said that he spoke with hundreds of students, and that most of them are unhappy with the changes, wanting them adjusted if not completely revoked.
“The majority consensus is that while a lot of us understand the need for a policy, we think the implementation needs a lot of work, especially with the removal of lunch and passing periods on top of that,” said Falcón.
There was also a petition on Change.org started by Hammond High School student Madhav Parsi petitioning to revoke the bans on phones in Howard County schools. The petition currently has over 3.6k signatures, with over 200 comments, mostly from upset students, giving their explanations as to why cell phone use shouldn’t be banned.
Parsi said of the petition, “Currently, our aim is to advocate peacefully and respectfully through this petition and planned testimonies before the Board. The goal is to gain more voices from students, teachers, and parents to present during these meetings to show the impact of this policy and to offer an amended proposal.”
While students are intending to make their voices heard, Falcón says it is ultimately up to the parents to make this change.
Students Want Parents to Advocate for Them
“I think the biggest protest that a lot of students are trying to get is just convincing their parents,” said Falcón. “The parents are gonna be the key.”
The opinion of most parents seems to be that they want their kids to have a cell phone accessible to them if they need it, but they don’t want it to distract students during instructional time. That sentiment was seen among parents in the surveys conducted as part of the data collection phase.
“Parents said they wanted their child to have access to their device,” said Bassett. “But they absolutely don’t want devices to be a disruption to instruction.”
On Tuesday, February 4, a message was sent from School Superintendent Bill Barnes, addressing the reaction to the policy changes, and emphasizing the good it can do for the school system.
“I know the revised policy is unpopular with many students, and that adjusting to it may be challenging,” Barnes said. “Nonetheless, I have full confidence that students will adjust and benefit from fewer distractions in school.”
Creating Awareness
So what comes next? From the administrative side, the next month will focus on creating awareness of the new policy so that all students, parents, and school staff are aware of the changes before they go into effect. Once they do, it will also be up to the administration to respond to feedback and make adjustments where necessary so the policy can be at its most effective going into the 2025-2026 school year.
From the student side, it seems that the goal in the next month is to convince the Board to make changes to the new policy. According to Falcón, walkouts are being planned by students at schools including Atholton, Long Reach, and Mayfield Middle. Students are also trying to make their concerns heard by Board members, which has already led to Vice Chair Linfeng Chen telling Falcón that he will support cell phone use during school lunch and passing periods.
This article was written by freelance reporter Megan Duffy.
Publisher’s Note: This article was updated to reflect that IEP and 504 plans may allow for exemptions to the new cell phone policy. Maryland Newspapers LLC looks forward to providing regular coverage of news and events in Howard County, Maryland. Please support that effort by visiting HowardCourier.com daily, uploading our mobile app, and subscribing, if finances permit.
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