Seventeen Baltimore County middle and high schools are reporting early signs of decreased distraction after banning cell phones during class time.The district announced the pilot program requiring students to put their devices in clear pouches at the beginning of the school year, joining a nationwide trend. But at a school board meeting Tuesday, Chief of Staff Mildred Charley-Greene said most schools wound up not using that model.“They’re unique schools with unique communities, so they designed a program that met the needs of their communities,” she said. “Bottom line was that every single one of them ensured the students and cell phones were separated during instructional time.”Read more (and listen) at WYPR.