Bell-to-Bell Ban on Cellphone Use to Start for All Montgomery Co. Students in Upcoming School Year
MCPS will require students to keep phones put away all day and will audit screen time as officials cite classroom distractions.
- Montgomery County Public Schools will implement a bell-to-bell cell phone ban beginning August 25, requiring all students to store devices from the first bell to dismissal throughout the 2026-27 school year.
- Peter Moran, chief of schools for Montgomery County Public Schools, told the county council on Monday the policy aims to reduce classroom distractions and improve academic achievement, aligning with new Maryland law requiring limits on student mobile use.
- Kimberly Fields, chief technology officer for MCPS, announced the district will conduct a comprehensive screentime audit for grades K-8 alongside the ban. Officials are finalizing storage procedures, with options including classroom cubbies or secured pouches.
- Some families expressed safety concerns about students' inability to call 911 during emergencies, but Moran emphasized the district plans a non-punitive approach involving conversations with students and parents rather than immediate punishment.
- School leaders view this as a transitional year focused on community dialogue. "It's going to be more about learning and talking with students and talking with families as we go through this transitional year," Moran said.
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11 Articles
Bell-to-bell ban on cellphone use to start for all Montgomery Co. students in upcoming school year
School officials said the decision to implement the policy this year was so that students and school officials could "go through the learning process as a community."
Two Montgomery Council committees today review how MCPS will apply state AI law and cell phone rules before returning to class.
Claudia Sheinbaum ruled out a national ban on the use of cell phones in schools and clarified that her government seeks to build a consensus to regulate these devices. “About 60 percent and so many percent, almost 70% of mothers and fathers agree to regulate the use of cell phones in school. There is a concern of mothers and fathers in this regard and what we want is for it to be something of a consensus.”Claudia Sheinbaum, President of MexicoDu…
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