State school officials have laid out broad guidelines for student use of cell phones in schools, but they want to leave the details of the policies up to local school districts. (Photo by SDI Productions via Getty Images)
The Maryland State Board of Education approved a resolution Tuesday asking local school leaders to implement comprehensive cell phone policies “as soon as practicable” for the 2025-26 school year.
While there is no requirement to do so, the 24 school systems are encouraged to adopt policies that align with broad recommendations presented in April by a statewide Task Force on Cell Phone Use in Schools. Input in the recommendations came from various school and community leaders.
“This is not a mandate. This is just requesting local education agencies, your [school] district, have a policy that actually engages stakeholder input,” said O’Marie Barnes, a Prince George’s County high school student and the board’s student member.
Among the most important of those stakeholders are teachers, said Angela Duckworth, a University of Pennsylvania psychology professor who launched a survey this year, called “Phones in Focus” that aims to assess cell phone policies in schools nationwide.
The survey asks, “What is your school’s official policy for how students can use their phones?” and “How is student access to phones physically restricted?” among other questions. Duckworth, who participated in Tuesday’s board meeting via Zoom, said most schools have “no show” cell phone policies, meaning phones can’t be visible in school, by being placed in lockers, backpacks or even a student’s pocket.
She said Maryland had the second-highest response rate, accounting for 7,863 responses of the more than 20,000 educators nationwide who took part. Based on responses in Maryland and throughout the country, Duckworth said, “The stricter the policy, the happier the educator. The stricter the policy, the less students are distracted in class.”
The resolution approved Tuesday does not make specific requirements, but it does ask that school districts “regularly revisit and assess the impact of cell phone use policies on student outcomes as well as to address any emerging or updated technology trends.”
In addition, it said, systems should “clearly define expectations for their policies, address emergency preparedness and engage public input.”
The Maryland State Education Association supports the resolution.
“We support this policy overall, as we want to make sure that cell phones are not distractions to students’ academic success or mental health,” said Paul Lemle, president of the state teacher’s union. “Importantly, this policy includes the … opportunity for local input to make sure local policies work well for local schools, educators, students, and parents.”
‘Keep an eye on’
Current rules are varied across the state, but the majority of school systems include provisions to provide exceptions for students with special needs such as an Individualized Education Program, or a 504 plan, which requires reasonable accommodations for students with disabilities.
Queen Anne’s County, like several systems, updated its policy this summer to allow students to receive telehealth appointments during the school day. This was a requirement the task force recommended for schools to have in place for this upcoming school year.
The Allegany County school board amended its cell phone policy in July so that cell phones “must be silenced during the school day.” However, high school students may use them during lunchtime. Middle school students can as well, but they must first get approval from a school administrator.
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Harford County’s board amended its policy in June to prohibit all forms of technology, including cell phones, personal listening device or smartwatches during the school day. The Dorchester County school board voted last week to amend its policy to say that “recording acts of violence, illegal activities, or other inappropriate content” on school property is prohibited. Any video uploaded to social media or other web-based communication will result in an “immediate” 10-day suspension.
Board member Rachel McCusker, the first teacher from Carroll County public schools to serve on the board, who recently became an acting assistant principal, said continued assessment on cell phone policies should focus on enforcement. In some cases, she said teachers may have to enforce a policy that could have a negative effect on student-teacher relationships.
“A large percentage of teachers welcome policies to start to curb cell phone use in classrooms … but they also, which Dr. Duckworth said, they don’t want to be bad cop either,” McCusker said. “If there’s a way for us to study the enforcement piece and how that affects relationships, that would be really great for us to keep an eye on.”