HOWARD COUNTY, Md. — See no cellphones, hear no cellphones, even during lunch.

That's the new device policy now permanently in place when students return to the classroom in Howard County on Monday.

The district soft launched Policy 8080 in March after eight months of research, development and discussions adding teeth to its existing cellphone policy . A work group convened to continually review the policy was in favor of keeping it the same this fall.

It also extends to wireless headphones and earbuds. Smart watches may be worn, but only used to check the time.

“Some students, not the majority of students, have reported favorable outcomes of this policy. They comment on how much more fun lunchtime is. They didn't realize they weren't connecting with their peers,” Superintendent Bi

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