DMV schools are seeing cellphone bans this fall
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Kids are headed back to school across the DMV, and some will have to say goodbye to their phones.
Why it matters: States, cities, and school districts across the country are banning or limiting cellphone use at schools, as officials say they cause mental health impacts and classroom disruptions.
- It's a hot topic for parents — some want to be able to reach their kids, others think it'll help them pay attention and socialize with their peers IRL.
The big picture: States like Florida or Indiana have passed bills banning school phone use.
- Several DMV jurisdictions have already banned phone use during parts of the school day, while others are piloting full-day bans.
Driving the news: Earlier this month, Virginia's Department of Education issued a draft guidance suggesting that school districts outlaw phone use from "bell to bell" — a shift from some school systems that allow phones outside of class time.
- This comes after Gov. Glenn Youngkin issued an executive order earlier this summer asking the department to work on guidelines that schools could use for creating a "cellphone-free education environment."
Zoom in: Fairfax County's policy allows high schoolers to use phones at lunch and between classes. However, it's currently testing a program to lock away cellphones in magnetic pouches at some middle and high schools.
- Maryland's Montgomery County is piloting a similar "Away All-Day" policy in several of its schools to "reduce distractions, prevent cyberbullying, and improve student engagement."
In school districts like Arlington, and Loudoun and Anne Arundel counties, elementary and middle schoolers can't use their phones during the school day, while high schoolers must keep their phones away during class time.
Meanwhile, D.C. Public Schools (DCPS) does not have a blanket policy regarding cellphone use, a DCPS spokesperson tells Axios.
- Schools can determine on a case-by-case basis how they want to address phones.
- No phones are allowed to be used in DCPS middle schools, however, per the spokesperson.
The intrigue: Some local parents have started petitions urging DMV school districts to enact phone-free policies.
What they're saying: "Unfettered phone usage at school hurts our kids. It makes them less connected, less attentive, less resilient, and less happy," writes Georgetown Day School head Russell Shaw in The Atlantic.
- Starting this fall, GDS high school students will no longer be allowed to use phones. This was already in effect for younger students.
María Olmedo-Malagon's daughter is a middle schooler at a cellphone-free DCPS school, and she says their family loves that students aren't distracted by texting, games, or, yes, even ordering UberEats.
- "[The] ban kind of worked to bring her back to real life," she tells Axios of the policy adopted last school year. "We noticed that even during the summer she appreciated a couple of hours of no texting."
The other side: Some parents are pushing back against phone bans because they want to be able to get in touch with and keep track of their kids in case of an emergency or a school shooting.
By the numbers: 72% of high school teachers consider students becoming distracted by their phones "a major problem," per a recent Pew Research poll.
- 82% of teachers say their school system has a policy regarding classroom phone use.
And while 70% of parents think that phones should be banned during class, 56% believe that students should sometimes be allowed to use phones at school, per a National Parents Union survey.
Between the lines: The debate over phones in schools is tied to the debate over whether social media is causing depression and other mental health problems in children, Axios' Jennifer A. Kingson writes.
Yes, but: Even if phones are removed, some students still have access to things like tablets and laptops at school, which can also pose distractions and act as platforms for bullying.