MCPS implemented new cell phone policies this year in an attempt to limit the amount of time students spend on virtual distractions that could divert them from focusing in class.

They also added new filters to the public Wi-Fi and recommended that teachers require students to leave their phones at the front of the classroom when they go to the bathroom during class.

“Many of the protections are an attempt to prevent access to sites that are harmful, encourage cyber bullying, or negatively impact classroom instruction due to non-instructional congestion on the network,” MCPS Chief Technology Officer Sherwin Collette said.

If a site frequently used for educational purposes is blocked, teachers can request that the site be put on a safe list so they can use it in class.

Despite MCPS’ efforts, students are still finding ways around the policies and continuing to use their phones in school.

One popular way around the new Wi-Fi restrictions: downloading a virtual private network (VPN) app. With VPN, phones connect to a server via an encrypted connection, so only the VPN server receives data from the device, not the school. Essentially, under the VPN, students can use virtually any website or application they’d like.

Even though the VPN app grants students access to more applications, the Wi-Fi is still slow and often disconnects.

“The Wi-Fi doesn’t work very well with or without VPN, so I just turn it off and use data,” junior Terry Zhou said.

While many students are annoyed at the new Wi-Fi filters, some think the new change is justified.

“A lot of people are saying that the school has no right to stop us from going on social media,” junior Kasey Chatterjee-Len said. “But, I don’t see why everyone thinks that they should be able to go on Instagram at school.”

With the same intention of limiting cell phone usage, biology teachers Janice Bauroth and Mira Chung are requiring students to turn in their phone at the front of the room when they go to the bathroom this year. Physics teacher Kismet Talaat has used the same rule in past years.

The policy is an effective way of preventing students from going to the bathroom solely for the purpose of using their phone, Bauroth said.

“This way when students need to go the restroom in the middle of a test, I know they aren’t using their phone to cheat,” Talaat said.

Because of the increased usage of student and staff devices, the demand of the MCPS wireless network has been increasing in the past years, Collette said.

“As always, the priority of the network is to ensure we have exceptional performance for instructional technology and we continue to build out the wireless network as schools evolve how and where they use their mobile technology,” Collette said.