Starting next school year, students in Montgomery County, Maryland, will have stricter rules regarding their cellphone use during class.
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New guidelines released by Montgomery County Public Schools will require students of all grade levels to keep their mobile devices turned off and out of sight when “use is not permitted.”
The list of devices include mobile instruments capable of sending or receiving data via voice, video or text, including cellphones, tablets, laptops and smartwatches.
Elementary and middle school students must keep their devices off and stored away at all times during the school day, including class time, lunch and transitions between periods.
Students may use their personal devices before and after school and on school buses.
High school students may use their devices during their lunch breaks and between classes, but not during “instructional time,” the guidelines said.
However, exceptions will be made for students who have learning or medical disabilities.
In a statement, officials at MCPS said they hope the new rules will mean less screen time and more learning time for students.
“The updated regulation aims to create a learning environment that balances the benefits of technology with the need to minimize distractions and promote focused learning and classroom engagement,” the statement read.
Previously, MCPS allowed devices to be used for in-class activities if approved by school leadership. Middle and high school students could use their devices during lunch. And high schoolers were allowed to use their devices between classes, but still up to their principals’ discretion.
The school system has been working on revamping its rules on cellphone use during the year, including studying the potential changes in a pilot program at 11 schools, including RICA, a special education school with day and residential programs.
In a school board meeting in February, principals from two of the schools participating in the pilot program where restrictions were being tested agreed there was improved classroom focus, more student engagement and fewer distractions.
However, while some students were able to get around the rules, others struggled to adapt.
“These routines and these policies are only as effective as we the adults (that are) routinely enforcing them,” Chris Nardi, the principal for Thomas Pyle Middle School, told school board members.
Those caught violating the policy will be punished, according to an updated Student Code of Conduct that will be released in the summer.
WTOP’s Kate Ryan contributed to this report.
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