Dialing up a solution: Bills would require all school systems in state to cell phone policies

Yahoo

30-01-2025

Peter Boyko, far left, responds to a question during a House Ways and Means Committee bill hearing on cell phones. Next to Boyko is the bill's sponsor, Del. David Fraser-Hildago (D-Montgomery), and James J. York, past president of the Maryland State Medical Society. (Photo by William J. Ford/Maryland Matters)
They differ in the details of what to prohibit and when, but several bills on student use of cell phones all agree on one thing — schools across the state need to have some ground rules for students.
'Our teachers do not need another challenge in our classrooms and do not need any more distractions,' said Del. Nino Mangione (R-Baltimore County), in testimony to the House Ways and Means Committee. 'There is no need for cell phones as an instructional tool. We do not need cell phones in the classroom.'
Mangione sponsored one of two bills heard by Ways and Means on Wednesday, the same day that three bills were considered in the Senate Education, Energy and the Environment Committee. A sixth bill, by Del. Adrian Boafo (D-Prince George's), is set for a hearing Feb. 12 in Ways and means.
Mangione and Del. David Fraser-Hildago (D-Montgomery), who sponsored the second bill heard by Ways and Means, acknowledged that several school systems already implemented cell phone policies or pilot programs, but said their bills are to ensure all 24 school systems have policies in place.
Mangione's House Bill 192 would allow high school students to use cell phones during lunch periods but would otherwise prohibit use in school, including between classes. Elementary and middle school students would not be allowed to use their cell phones at all during the school day.
The bill also lays out disciplinary steps: A first violation would bring a written warning; second violation would see the cell phone taken away; and three or more violations would bring disciplinary action, as set by the local school board.
Fraser-Hildago's bill, HB 57, seeks to require that school boards implement a cell phone policy that would allow students to use them during lunch, but would otherwise prohibit their use 'during instructional time.' The policy would require that students store their phones in a 'secure place' when not in use, such as in a locker, closed backpack or a storage container provided by the school.
Fraser-Hidalgo's bill does not differentiate between high school students and those in lower grades.
'I think there's a statewide goal and I think it's also important for the school systems to have some policy, but they're incremental,' Fraser-Hildago said in an interview. 'This is a moving target. I think the school systems are trying to figure out how to fix it as they go.'
Both measures would allow students with an IEP, or individualized education program, to use a cell phone during school hours, as well as students with a documented health issue.
The bills do not specify when school systems should have policies in place.
Two Montgomery County high school students who testified Wednesday – Jariane Martinez, 15, and Peter Boyko, 16 – said the bills overlook an important item: school safety.
They testified cell phone use should be allowed for students to notify their parents and guardians during emergency situations such as a school shooting.
'I believe that if phones are banned, school safety is threatened,' Martinez, a 10th grader at Seneca Valley High School, said in an interview after she testified.
'I've realized that a lot of school systems kind of have an issue with clear transparency about what is going on during those situations,' she said. 'So without that transparency and without contact with their child, parents are in the dark about what is going on.'
Del. Vanessa Atterbeary (D-Howard), the Ways and Means chair, said students should not use cell phones during instructional time, but that she also understands why parents allow their children to have them.
'I want my kids to have a phone because they're so active. They do so many things. Plans change. That's how I communicate with them, so I do think it's important that they have a cell phone,' she said after Wednesday's bill hearings.
'But again, they shouldn't whip it out in the middle of the day when they're in math or science class. They should be focused,' Atterbeary said. 'It's big issue this year because we have multiple bills.'
Boafo's bill, HB 630, has similarities to the other two measures, but it would allow students to use cell phones 'during an emergency event' or 'when directed by an educator or administrator for educational purposes.'
His bill would also require school boards to develop a policy to limit cell phone use during 'instructional time' by the 2026-27 school year. The policy must prohibit a student from using social media applications and websites during school hours.
A Senate companion bill to Boafo's, sponsored by Sen. Ron Watson (D-Prince George's), was heard Wednesday by the Senate Education, Energy, and the Environment Committee, which also heard bills from Sen. Joanne C. Benson (D-Prince George's) and one co-sponsored by Senate Minority Whip Justin Ready (R-Frederick and Carroll) and Sen. Jeff Waldstreicher (D-Montgomery).
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Benson's bill is similar to the other four proposed, but without a specific implementation date or disciplinary actions.
The Waldstreicher-Ready bill would create a phone-free pilot program in Carroll and Montgomery counties. Each school system would choose one middle and high school to participate and collect data on academic achievement, student engagement, student and teacher feedback.
School officials would have to submit a report on their progress by September 2026.
The Maryland Education Coalition, which is comprised of advocacy groups, said cell phone policies should be strictly left up to local school systems, with guidance by the state Department of Education.
The department has a cell phone task force of administrators, teachers, students and other school officials to conduct research and assess various policies implemented in other parts of the country.
'I think that the state Department of Ed has a role in providing guidance to the [school] districts about what their policy should look like … with stakeholder input,' Ellie Mitchell, co-chair of the coalition, said Wednesday. 'I don't think it's time now for a blanket state rule.'