UPDATE:
On May 5, 2025, we delivered this letter with almost 2000 signatures to Superintendent Taylor, MCPS Office of Strategic Initiatives, and members of the Board of Education, so they would receive it before MCPS releases its proposed amendments to the regulation on personal mobile devices, COG-RA.
Unfortunately, on May 9, 2025, MCPS released a final version of COG-RA, even though it had not yet released the final results of the Away All Day pilot or provided time for community feedback on draft revisions, as publicly promised. The revised COG-RA expands Away All Day to middle schools, but weakens the rules for high schools for allowing phone use during transitions and lunch, eliminating principal discretion.
We are continuing to advocate with MCPS on this issue and invite newcomers to continue signing this letter. Thank you for your support!
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If you support a consistent Away All Day policy to be implemented across MCPS, please review the Q&A and letter below and fill out the form to add your name as a signatory.
We, a group of MCPS parents and advocates for phone-free schools, invite you to join us in signing this letter and sharing it with your network. We are active members of our PTAs, Fairplay, Phone-Free Schools, Smartphone Free Childhood, and the Becca Schmill Foundation, among other notable organizations supporting the cause.
Note: We welcome support from concerned citizens of Montgomery County who are not constituents of MCPS! Feel free to share this letter with your MoCo neighbors!
Additional Note: Are you organizing around this issue in your own community and would like to connect? Feel free to reach out to Betsy at betwana@gmail.com!
Betsy Tao, Beall Elementary and Julius West Middle
Joel Schwarz, Ashburton Elementary and North Bethesda Middle
Jeremy Joseph, Walt Whitman High
Mickie Chandra
