By Jacob Hill
Staff Writer
History
As we have gotten further into the mid-2020s, phones have been an increasing problem within school systems, as teachers have struggled more than ever with keeping students off their phones and learning. As reported in CBS News Today, some counties started adopting their own phone bans as early as 2024. Counties like Howard and Harford County adopted phone bans for safety and educational reasons. In Howard County, before the phone ban, in every class, you could catch students on their phones, heads down, instead of paying attention to their teachers. Now that the state is requiring all counties to have a phone restriction policy, it encourages students to pay attention to their teachers and get a better education. This also helps teachers and administrators focus on bigger problems within the school rather than nitpicking students on their devices.
Other states
Maryland’s phone ban is not as severe as those in other states, such as Florida, Texas, and Pennsylvania. As stated in the Education Week article, those states have bans where, at school, before students enter the building, they must store their phones away and get them back at the end of each school day. So Maryland could be considered middle of the pack in terms of phone ban laws and strictness. But, as noted in the article, there are also states, most notably Mississippi and South Dakota, that have no phone bans, rules, or any type of restrictions. But regions in the state could have their own bans, even though the states do not enforce anything.
What is the new Maryland phone law?
The Maryland Phone Free Schools Act requires every local board of education to adopt policies that will go into effect starting in the 2027–28 school year. As reported by CBS News, the act would restrict students’ use of cellphones, laptops, and other devices and also ban access to social media during school hours, while also restricting students from suspension or expulsion for violating the act.
How does it affect every school in Maryland?
It now requires every school district to have a policy to restrict devices such as phones, laptops, and others. But the legislation prohibits students from getting suspended or expelled from schools for violating the act.
How does it affect students in Howard County? The thing is, it does not actually really affect counties that already have devices, so our county is not really going to change anything next school year. The Howard County Board of Education could pass more rules, but the statewide act does not affect Howard County.
Things to remember
- This act does not start until the 2027/2028 school year
- The policy also applies to tablets, Bluetooth headphones and handheld gaming consoles
- You can’t get suspended or expelled no matter how many times you violate the act
- It is up to the county/district to determine how the ban would be enforced and the punishable action the take
- The new law allows cellphone use for educational purposes, student health needs, and school emergencies only
