Instead of making a decision on student cellphone use policies and repercussions, Howard public school officials on Nov. 21 opted to ask the public for more input.

After a presentation about how schools currently manage students’ technology and social media use, the Howard County school board voted to hold a public hearing to seek comments from students, parents and staff rather than make a final decision to change policy. A date for a public hearing has not yet been set.

“I’d encourage staff to work with their administrators while we get this right, so we’re clear and consistent, as our students have asked for, and that we are leading with why,” HCPSS Superintendent Bill Barnes said. “And then when we make decisions, they’re more likely to stick and not need to be adjusted and adjusted and adjusted.”

A workgroup was formed in July to review the school system’s personal technology policy. Brian Bassett, director of communication and engagement for the Howard County Public School System and chair of the workgroup, shared the group’s recommendations with the school board Thursday night.

The work group recommended policy amendments that would mandate no cell phone use for elementary and middle school students between the first and last bell of the school day. All personal devices for those students would have to be silenced and put away.

For high school students the workgroup recommended that cellphones should be silenced and kept away during class time, but these students could be allowed to use them at other times of the day. They also recommended a policy stating that laptops and Chromebooks are only to be used for instruction and not for recording video or audio or for playing games.

Several board members, including Chair Jen Mallo and District 2 member Antonia Watts, said that the rules for personal technology use in high school should be more strict. Others questioned why the rules were not consistent across all grade levels.

Jacky McCoy, an at-large board member, said that allowing cellphones during lunch could be problematic since students could film fights that break out in the lunchroom. District 1 board member Robyn Scates said permitting cellphones during lunch creates “mixed signals.”

“I mean it just sounds like we’re trying to do it gently, and then later, just come back and do it,” Scates said. “I think that if educators are saying they need our help, and if we’re going to do it, let’s do it. Let’s not half do it.”

Board members also said the recommendations should go through the normal regulatory process for policy changes, including a public hearing and a committee review, before a school board vote.

“I think we absolutely need to because there are changes in multiple places that are being recommended that are not even fully hashed out yet that we need the community to give input for and we need the policy committee to review as well,” said Jolene Mosley, board member for District 3.

The policy updates being discussed only applied to student use, and McCoy and Mosley argued that staff use of personal devices should also be addressed.

The recommendations come as schools across the state and country grapple with how to regulate cellphone and personal device use in schools to address distractions in learning and the negative impacts of social media on mental health. During a June Board of Education meeting, Barnes said that when visiting schools, the distraction of cellphone use was teachers’ top complaint. In October, some parents called for a crackdown on cellphone use in schools, sharing tearful testimony.

Board members pointed toward teaching responsible use alongside restrictions.

“I think that we need to be proactive in an approach of responsible teaching, responsible use, because as our students move on from our schools, they’re going to be in the workforce, and they’re going to be in college, and they need to learn how to navigate that space,” Mosley said.

With all the considerations, there is no “gold standard” or one way to make change when adjusting technology policy, Bassett said.

“And so a lot of this is really, we’ve got to implement what we think is right, and then monitor and adjust as needed.”