Classrooms across Maryland are a bit more quiet this fall, with students under new rules to keep their cellphones off and out of sight.
At least a third of Maryland public schools have tightened up the rules this fall, according to a Capital News Service survey conducted this month.
Meanwhile, public schools in and around Baltimore are cracking down on phones during instruction — and, in some cases, even on the bus.
In Caroline County on the Eastern Shore, public schools have a new pilot program in two middle schools. It requires students to place their phones in locked pouches. The pouches stay with the students but remain locked until the end of the school day.
“Today’s youth battle constant distraction caused by cellphone alerts and messaging that interrupt their ability to focus,” Caroline public schools’ Superintendent Derek L. Simmons said in a recent notice to students and parents. He said this “creates a negative impact on school culture and learning.”
Elsewhere, administrators are getting creative about persuading students to go along with the plan.