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Kent County Public Schools begins drafting districtwide cell-phone policy under Maryland law
Summary
The student member reported that Maryland law requires all districts to adopt cell-phone policies beginning in 2026–27; KCPS presented a first reading and plans outreach to parents and students before final adoption.
Kent County Public Schools presented a first reading of a districtwide cell-phone policy that the student member said districts must adopt under Maryland law beginning in the 2026–27 school year.
"Starting in the 2026–27 school year, Maryland state law requires all schools have a policy, but they've left it up to individual districts to formulate their own policies," Alton Swanson said.
Swanson summarized the draft policy as containing seven sections covering purpose, expectations, restrictions, permitted usage, consequences, methods for securing devices and a parent and student acknowledgment. He said stakeholders in the drafting process included the student services team, principals and Superintendent Dr. Markomis and that procedures may vary by school depending on local administrator decisions.
Swanson described the item as a first reading; he said the district will conduct outreach to parents and students similar to last year's community conversations before the policy is finalized. He said the full draft would be available on BoardDocs.
The district did not present a final policy, specific enforcement protocols for individual schools, or a date for final adoption during the report; those details will be set after the planned community engagement and further board actions.
