With new state law, board readies district rules to make schools phone‑free

Assistant Superintendent Jennifer Shrekenost told the board on May 6 that House Bill 525 — the Phone‑Free Schools Act — requires local boards to adopt a bell‑to‑bell prohibition on personal electronic communication devices by the 2027–28 school year and to specify where students must store devices during the school day. The law allows exceptions for school‑issued devices and students with IEPs or health plans.

Shrekenost presented district survey results: more than 75% of parents support limiting cell‑phone use during the school day, and 87.6% of teachers said they support a phone‑free school day. Teachers and parents favored storing devices or keeping them off and out of sight; parents were less supportive of a requirement that a parent pick up confiscated devices.

Board members discussed practical issues the district must address: how to handle classroom instruction that occasionally relies on a student's personal device, how to treat smartwatches and wearable devices covered by the law, and whether and how school buses (where drivers have limited ability to police phones) fit the regulation’s scope. Shrekenost noted that the district's current regulation already requires elementary students to turn off phones before entering the building and permits teacher‑authorized use for instruction, but that district rules will need revision to align with the new statute and forthcoming state regulations.

The board indicated it wants staff to prepare a first read of an updated cell‑phone policy for the June meeting with a final read in August so the district can use 2026–27 as a trial year and refine practices before the 2027–28 mandatory date. Staff said they will await the Maryland State Department of Education's model policy and regulatory guidance and will return with draft language and implementation details.