The Montgomery County Education Association’s (MCEA) Representative Assembly overwhelmingly voted to approve a cell phone policy resolution that calls upon MCPS to universally adopt and uniformly implement a phased transition to a cell phone-free learning environment except in the case of documented medical or special education accommodations.
Per MCEA: “Like many other educators in school districts across the country, MCEA members have long understood how cell phones and other personal mobile devices can not only distract students from academic achievement but can also exacerbate mental health challenges,” said MCEA President David Stein. “MCEA is looking forward to engaging with MCPS leadership and other stakeholders to formulate a policy that enhances teaching and learning at all levels.”
MCEA’s resolution recognizes the need to differentiate cell phone policies based on grade level, fully prohibiting use in elementary and middle schools, while permitting cell phones only during designated times at lunch and between classes for high school students. Justin Fauntroy, a computer science teacher at Argyle Middle School and a co-chair of the union’s cell phone policy working group observed, “I know that my students do not need to use cell phones in classrooms or between classes.” Fauntroy, who also sits on MCEA’s board of directors added, “We need students to be meaningfully engaged in classes – and with one another.”
The recommendation’s success relies on MCPS’s willingness to universally enforce any cell phone policy it eventually adopts and support educators in its implementation. “Change is difficult, but we know that helping our students succeed is worth it,” said Rainer Kulenkampff, a fellow co-chair of MCEA’s cell phone policy working group and a social studies teacher at Walter Johnson H.S. “It’s critical that we get this right so that we can not only improve our teaching and learning conditions but also strengthen students’ mental health and well-being.”
MCEA represents more than 14,000 classroom teachers, school counselors, speech pathologists, media specialists and other educators in the Montgomery County Public Schools system; MCEA is one of the largest local affiliates of the National Education Association (NEA) and is a leader in building a new kind of educators’ union that responds to the needs of today’s educators and students. For more information, visit www.mceanea.org.