Sponsors pitch Phone‑Free School Act to reduce device distractions during instruction

Delegate Adrian Pouwapo asked the Ways and Means Committee for a favorable report on House Bill 6 30, the Maryland Phone‑Free School Act, which would require county boards of education to implement policies limiting students’ cell‑phone use during instructional time by the 2025–26 school year.

The bill sets broad minimums: local policies must allow exceptions for students with IEPs or 504 plans, documented health conditions, emergencies, and instances when teachers deem phones educationally necessary. It also calls for “social media blockers” on school networks and specifies that school administrators — not individual teachers — should be responsible for removing phones when discipline is required.

Paul Ellington, representing a behavioral‑health provider, and Lauren Lam of the Maryland State Education Association (MSEA) testified in support. Ellington cited research linking excessive phone and social‑media use to anxiety, depression and sleep disturbance. Lam said 90% of educators polled by NEA affiliates support policies banning cell phones during instructional time and argued that consistent system‑level policies are easier for teachers to enforce than classroom‑by‑classroom rules.

Committee members asked technical and enforcement questions: whether network‑level blocking works when students use cellular data rather than Wi‑Fi; how to avoid disproportionate disciplinary impacts on specific student groups; whether the statewide requirement should address other wearable devices; and whether the bill’s implementation timeline could be accelerated. The sponsor said cloud‑based blockers and geofencing options exist and that the bill intentionally leaves details to local boards while setting minimum expectations.

No committee vote was recorded at the hearing; the sponsor requested a favorable report and said he would work with members on implementation questions and possible amendments.