ANNAPOLIS, Md. — The Maryland State Senate voted yes on SB0928, the Maryland Phone-Free Schools Act, this past Friday.
The bill requires each county board of education (BOE) to develop and implement a policy prohibiting the use of certain electronic communication devices by students during the academic school day. The bill also says the individual BOE policies cannot include restrictions on students or devices being used in a documented Individualized Education Program (IEP), to address a documented health issue, or to restrict access to language translation tools or meet approved caregiving duties.
The bill will now proceed to the Maryland House of Delegates. If it passes, it will go to Gov. Wes Moore’s desk before being signed into law. If adopted, local BOEs across Maryland will have until the 2027-2028 school year to create their policies to be in compliance with this law.
The bill came up in last year’s legislative session as SB0368, but did not proceed in either chamber. The new version of the bill is sponsored by over a dozen state senators, including several representing Prince George’s, Baltimore and Montgomery counties, among others. President of the State Senate Bill Ferguson (D) is one of the sponsors.
Several mental health and educational organizations support school cell phone bans, with claims that it will improve academic performance and reduce cyberbullying.
Currently, schools across Maryland can choose what kind of cell phone policy they implement, but many have already taken steps to restrict or ban cell phone use in schools. For example, Calvert County Public Schools’ (CCPS) code of conduct states that middle and high school students can bring cellphones and smartwatches to school, but the devices must be powered down and stored away in a non-visible and secure location once school begins. Elementary school students may only bring these devices to school if they have a smartphone registration form on file.
Follow SB0928 online. The 2026 legislative session ends April 13.
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