by Geoff Fox
When students in Washington County head back to school in August, there will be a new policy in place prohibiting the use of cellphones and personal devices by students.
Members of the Washington County Board of Education voted unanimously during their June 16 meeting to approve the new policy regarding devices, putting it into effect for the coming school year.
The policy statement says:
“Student use of a personally-owned, electronic communication device and the access or use of a social media platform during the academic school day (as defined in this policy) is prohibited.”
Under the previous policy, students were not allowed to use their cellphones during instructional time as officials thought that restriction would significantly help students learn in the most positive and productive learning environment.
That policy began with the 2024-2025 school year.
Now, for the 2026-2027 school year, students will have to keep personally owned electronic devices in their assigned locker/cubby during the academic school day.
According to the policy, students are prohibited from accessing their communication device during the school day including lunch, recess, passing periods, and transitional periods.
Those devices would also be the students’ sole responsibility and the school board would assume no responsibility for a personally owned, electronic device if it is lost, loaned, damaged, destroyed, or stolen.
There are a few exceptions to the policy, however.
If a student with a disability, for reasonable accommodations related to the disability, including for any purpose in the student’s individual education program or 504 plan if a school issued electronic device is not available for this purpose.
Other exceptions include monitoring or addressing a student’s documented health issue with prior approval by Washington County Public School staff; to access language translation tools to ensure educational equality for multilingual students, but only if a school issued electronic device is not available for this purpose; meeting caregiving responsibilities, as approved by a school principal; for educational purposes, as set forth in Administrative Regulation JICJ-R, with administrator approval when a school issued device is unavailable; and use of a personally owned device may be granted in an emergency situation as determined by the supervising adult.
Should there be a violation, the disciplinary measures would be accordance with the student discipline guidelines.
A school administrator could use progressive discipline which would include, but not limited to, taking temporary possession of the personally owned electronic device if a student is attempting to use the device during any time when such use is prohibited.
A student cannot be suspended or expelled solely for a violation of the policy.
The change in policy followed legislation passed in the Maryland General Assembly in 2026 – the Joanne C. Benson Maryland Phone-Free Schools Act.
