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It's more apparent every year that when children are in school, they should not be using their cellphones.
We have all been entranced by the lure of the technological marvels we carry with us every hour of the day. But we have also begun to realize how distracting and disruptive they can be, for adults and students in school.
Frederick County Public Schools is implementing a policy to completely ban cellphone use during the school for the upcoming school year.
The district will be ahead of the deadline to comply with the Maryland General Assembly's recently passed Phone-Free Schools Act. The act mandates that school boards implement a policy prohibiting the use of personal mobile devices during the academic school day, by the 2027-2028 school year.
At a school board meeting on May 20, board President Dean Rose announced that "phones are off and away for bell to bell beginning August 18." But the school system recognizes it will be asking a lot.
Schools are alerting students' families about the change. The policy is a "significant change" for students, who won't be able to use phones, smart watches, earbuds/headphones, or other personal communication devices during the school day, the notice says.
"We understand that giving up that access will not be easy," it said.
Some parents were hoping the school system would go further, prohibiting bringing cellphones to school all together. Many critics have shared concerns over how the policy would be implemented and enforced.
John Deni, president of the Frederick High School Parent Teacher Student Association, told Frederick News-Post reporter Sarah Rubinstein that parents have questioned the need to allow cellphones to be physically at schools at all.
Deni said society has been running an almost 20-year experiment on students since cellphones were first popularized. By now, everyone is well aware of the impact.
"Parents understand the academic evidence that's been made available now regarding the impact on the schools, in the classrooms, in terms of interpersonal relations between kids, in terms of academics and their performance and outcomes," he told our reporter. "It's difficult to see much good coming from the introduction of smartphones in the schools."
Deni said some parents pointed out that cellphones are helpful for coordinating with parents from different households or during a crisis. However, he said if parents need to reach their children, they can call the front office, which will relay the message.
Frederick County Teachers Association President Justin Heid said he has received feedback from mostly high school teachers saying that banning cellphones is something they would "appreciate."
He said some teachers have moved away from relying on technology in the classroom and focus now on giving paper and pencil assignments because of the distraction caused by cellphones.
Alex Thomas, the student member of the school board, at a recent meeting said he agreed that banning phones during the school day will be a good thing, but he noted that distractions available on school-issued laptops are "just as bad."
Students can use their computers to order food on DoorDash, watch TV or cheat on assignments, said Thomas, a recent graduate from Linganore High School.
"I think these computers, you need to wean students off them and you need to get them out of the classroom as much as possible," he said.
Schools everywhere have been trying to use the tools being created by new technologies, but we now know they have a steep downside, too.
Prohibiting cellphone use in schools is a good beginning, but the board and the administration need to consider whether they should be completely banned and whether other tools, including laptops, have a place in the classroom as well.
These will mean some hard choices, but the system is taking the right first steps.
-- Frederick News-Post