MCPS to enforce 'bell‑to‑bell' cell‑phone limits for elementary and middle schools; high schools restrict during class

Montgomery County Public Schools will put a new student cell‑phone regulation into effect on Aug. 26 that bars cellphone use across the school day in elementary and middle schools and restricts phones during class in high schools, MCPS staff told the County Council Education and Culture Committee on July 25.

Peter Moran, chief of schools, said the district’s recommendation — described to the council as the outcome of an eight‑school pilot and safety walks — is “bell to bell, no cell” at elementary and middle schools and a high‑school approach in which phones must stay off and away during class but may be used during lunch and transitions unless a principal decides otherwise. Moran said principals will have a menu of options for how to implement the rule, including locked pouches, classroom caddies or teacher‑managed…