City Schools reports positive pilot results and proposes districtwide limits on student devices; second reading set for April 8

Baltimore City Public Schools staff reported Feb. 25 that a 25-school pilot to restrict student use of personal electronic devices has yielded broadly positive self-reported results from teachers, students and parents, and proposed districtwide revisions to policy JICJ to limit device use during the school day.

Deputy Chief Kelvin Moore and Special Assistant to the CEO Seema Shawn Nelson presented a midyear briefing on the pilot. Schools used a mix of approaches — central collection, classroom collection in locked cabinets, locker-based systems and locking device pouches — and many pilots paired the restrictions with non-phone incentives. Staff reported increases in instructional focus and declines in classroom disruptions in survey responses from pilot teachers; students and parents reported mixed reactions but a preponderance of positive outcomes on measures such as “less drama” and stronger in-person engagement.

Principal Ben Mosley, of Glenmount Elementary-Middle (a pilot school), told the board the school’s experience “in just two years has made a huge impact,” saying distractions have decreased and teacher stress has fallen. In the pilot’s midyear surveys, a majority of responding…