The Howard County school board has delayed a vote on recommendations to curb cellphone use during the school day by elementary, middle and high school students. Board members instead agreed to set a future public hearing on the matter as some voiced support for tougher rules for high school students.

Months ago, the school system joined a local and national movement to crack down on students’ phone use in the classroom. A work group — made of students, families, staff, county residents and community organizations — was formed, some 9,300 people took part in a survey sent out to the community, focus groups met and the Board of Education held a public hearing.

The work group proposed prohibiting elementary and middle schoolers from using their cellphones during the school day, but providing a little more flexibility to high school students. Upperclassman could use their phones in the hallway and during lunch.

But any student who used a phone during class would face confiscation, the work group recommended.

Most board members said they favored further restricting cellphone use by high school students. They also said they didn’t think phones should be allowed in hallways or during lunch.

Robyn Scates, an outgoing board member, said allowing phones at lunchtime sends “a mixed message” to students. She also suggested delaying the board’s decision until newly elected board members are sworn in because, she said, “they’re going to be tasked to monitor this.”

“My concern is in the hallways and the lunch rooms,” board member Jacky McCoy concurred. “Those are the places where fights are captured [with phone cameras].”

While board members did not act on the work group’s recommendations, they did vote to have the board’s policy committee review the proposals and schedule a public hearing. No date was set.

Cellphones prove a distraction in classroom

The work group had recommended the changes take effect on Jan. 24, the first day of the school system’s second semester, according to its report.

Parents and staff overwhelmingly agreed in a recent survey that cellphones are a distraction in classrooms. The superintendent’s cabinet also backed the recommendations, the panel said.

Students, on the other hand, are not likely to welcome the changes, with many preferring to stay glued to their phones.

The recommendations would allow for some personal device use. If the new policy is ultimately approved, students of all ages would be allowed to wear smartwatches in school — but only for checking the time. On field trips, students could use their phones to take pictures or video, if approved by a teacher.

Students of all ages could access their phones during the school day in the event of emergencies or when spelled out in a student’s special education or health plan, according to the report.

If students take out a phone for any other reason, the work group recommended, the phone should be seized and kept until the end of the school day. Repeat offenders would have their phones confiscated until a parent or guardian picks it up.

Phones could be seized by a school principal, assistant principal, a security assistant or a designated teacher on a field trip.

Data would be collected during the initial rollout to evaluate the policy changes, leaving room for any adjustment considerations before next school year.