The PG County school board has recently passed a law banning use of cell phones in classrooms of all county schools.
The students would be required to leave their phones turned off and in their lockers, from the first bell of the morning to the final bell of the school day. Students would be able to use their phones only with the Principal’s permission, or if a teacher wanted them to use it for some educational purpose.
The school board passed the policy 7-2, with the student board member dissenting along with one other.
Most school systems in the Washington region have flexible policies, allowing students to carry powered-down cellphones in their pockets during the school day and turning a blind eye to lunchtime calls; most confiscate phones used inappropriately during class.
I asked Hollywood Elementary School principal Babbara Caskey on the impact of this cell phone ban at her school. She said:
I don’t think it will affect Hollywood very much. We have had the policy that students are allowed to have cell phones but they must be kept in their back packs and turned off during the school day. No one has asked about it….so far!