SB 368 — County Boards of Education — Student Cellular Phone Use Policy (Maryland Phone‑Free Schools Act)

Status & Sponsors
- Bill: SB 368 (Maryland Phone‑Free Schools Act)

- Sponsor: Sen. Watson (Senate); cross‑file: HB 630 (Del. Boafo)

- Hearing: Jan 29, 2025, 2:30 p.m. (Education, Energy, and the Environment)

- Introduced: January 17, 2025 (read first time)

Purpose
- Require every Maryland county board of education to adopt and implement a standardized student cellular phone use policy that limits phone use during the school day to reduce distractions and protect instructional time.

Key provisions
- Definition: “Instructional time” = any time during the school day except a student’s lunch period.
- Deadline: Each county board must develop and implement the policy no later than the 2026–2027 school year.
- Prohibitions and requirements:
- Prohibit student use of cellular phones during instructional time.
- Require students to store phones in a secure place during instructional time.
- Prohibit use of social media applications and websites identified by the county board during school hours.
- Exceptions (policy may not prohibit use when):
1. Use is documented in a student’s Individualized Education Program (IEP) or Section 504 plan.
2. Use is needed to monitor or address a documented health condition.
3. During an emergency event.
4. When an educator or administrator directs phone use for an educational purpose.
- Discipline and enforcement:
- The policy must specify disciplinary measures, starting with a warning for an initial violation.
- Disciplinary measures are to be enforced by an administrator.

Who is affected
- Students in Maryland public K–12 schools (policy applies statewide through local boards).

- Local county boards of education (required to draft and adopt policy).

- School administrators and staff (responsible for enforcement).

- Parents and guardians (notification/implementation impacts).

Fiscal and implementation notes
- Effective date of the Act: July 1, 2025. The policy must be in place by the 2026–2027 school year.
- Fiscal impact: State — none. Local — boards can adopt or adapt existing policies and establish secure phone storage with existing resources according to the Department of Legislative Services fiscal note. Several large jurisdictions already have similar policies.
- MSDE context: The Maryland State Department of Education has convened a task force on student cell phone use and expects to issue policy recommendations to districts (spring 2025). The U.S. Department of Education has also released a playbook for personal device policies.

Potential impacts (practical considerations)
- Likely aims to reduce classroom distractions, support instruction, and limit non‑instructional social media use during school hours.

- Local boards must decide implementation details (secure storage logistics, scope of prohibited social apps, grading of disciplinary responses).

- Enforcement may require operational planning (storage solutions, staff training, parent communications), though the fiscal note expects this can be handled with current resources.

For full statutory language, see SB 368 (5lr2597 / 5lr1316).