Cellphone ban will remain in place for Howard County Public School students
The policy that restricted cellphone use in Howard County Public Schools (HCPSS) last year will return as is, after a recommendation from an advisory work group that looked at the implementation.
The school district was one of several in the country to adopt a kind of cellphone ban in its schools.
Superintendent Bill Barnes said in the first three and a half months of its implementation, he's been a fan of the policy.
Implementing Policy 8080
The cellphone policy went into effect on March 3. It requires that all cellphones and other personal tech devices be out of sight and silenced during the school day.
Last month, when asked about how the policy's implementation went, Barnes said, "Our students and our staff have done a great job abiding by the new expectations. It's gone better than I'd hoped."
There are exceptions to the policy. Smartwatches can be worn, but only used to check the time. Personal devices can be used during emergencies, and could be approved for use in a student's Individualized Education Program (IEP).
A device is confiscated until the end of the school day after the first offense. If a student is caught with a device anytime after, it will be confiscated until their parent or guardian can pick it up.
Surveying implementation of the cellphone ban
Policy violations were highest in the first month that the policy was in place, with more than 2,500 incidents recorded, according to HCPSS data.
Violations dropped significantly to nearly 800 in April, and continued to decrease until the end of the school year.
In a survey on the policy's implementation, done in the spring, parents, teachers and administrators said they were satisfied with the ban.
Students largely said they weren't satisfied, and that opinion was heard at several Board of Education meetings.
"These students cannot handle their devices to coordinate transportation, contact employers, as most of these students are employed through the intern-mentor program offered by Howard County, "said Howard High School student Neil Shandilya. "Or handle any sort of personal responsibilities they may have."
Some students said they were not worried about enforcement.
"At my school, a small number of busy administrators will be responsible for monitoring a student body of over 1,400 individuals. Expecting a total of five staff members to regulate and confiscate devices on such a large scale is both unpractical and unsustainable," said Rosemary Kamalu, a student at Oakland Mills High School.
Keeping the cellphone ban
An advisory work group that reviewed the survey's data recommended in June that the Board of Education keep the policy for the 2025-26 school year. The work group also wanted to leave the door open for adjustments.
Board of Education Chair Jolene Mosley brought up a concern for students who need assistive technology, like special education students.
"In the conversations I have had with students and with adults, there has been trouble trying to get their kids assistive technology -- including even having noise-dampening headphones and things like that for their students," she said.