Carroll County school board considers cellphone ban

BALTIMORE - Carroll County school officials are weighing a ban on cellphones in the classroom.

Students in the school district are allowed to have their phones with them and are permitted to use them at certain times throughout the day.

School board members discussed at Wednesday's meeting a proposed cellphone ban for students, saying it is a distraction to their education.

 "I don't want to say we can't have cell phones but we need to have a certain time," Carroll County Public Schools board member Marsha Herbert said.

Teachers and staff members representing different elementary, middle and high schools in Carroll County recommended removing the use of cellphones during class time.

"Cellphones can be a disruption and take time away from instruction," one educator said. 

Cellphones are allowed in middle school and high school classrooms for instructional purposes if they are approved by a teacher.

The policy, which also includes tablets and smartwatches, allows only high school students to use their digital devices during lunch hours and in hallways.

Some school Board members say they want to see the cellphones put away altogether.

"I'm really leaning towards a complete and utter removal of phones from morning bell to afternoon bell," board member Stephen Whisler said.

The policy was last revised in 2019. 

However, in January, board members requested revisiting the policy to consider possible changes. 

Some parents told WJZ they agree with stricter rules on cellphone use.

"Having a device at a school needs to be viewed as a privilege that a student or family can lose --  three strikes out kind of thing," a parent said. 

In Maryland, the school cellphone policy remains in the hands of the districts and school leaders and varies from one classroom to the next.

In Baltimore County, the expectation is that cellphones are put away and silenced during instruction time.