HB0755 • 2026

County Boards of Education - Student Personal Electronic Device Use Policy - Establishment (Phones Away for the School Day Act)

Education

Passed Legislature

This bill passed both chambers and reached final enrollment, even if later executive action is not shown here.

Sponsor: Delegate Wolek
Last action: 2026-02-23
Official status: In the House - Withdrawn by Sponsor
Effective date: 2026-07-01

Plain English Breakdown

Using official source text because the generated explanation was unavailable or could not be confirmed against the official bill text.

County Boards of Education - Student Personal Electronic Device Use Policy - Establishment (Phones Away for the School Day Act)

Requiring each county board of education to develop and implement, not later than the 2026-2027 school year, a policy prohibiting the use of a personal electronic device by a student during school day hours; providing the policy may not prohibit a student from using a personal electronic device for any purpose related to an individualized program or 504 plan; providing that any disciplinary measures adopted as part of the policy may not include suspension or expulsion solely for violation of the policy; etc.

What This Bill Does

Requiring each county board of education to develop and implement, not later than the 2026-2027 school year, a policy prohibiting the use of a personal electronic device by a student during school day hours; providing the policy may not prohibit a student from using a personal electronic device for any purpose related to an individualized program or 504 plan; providing that any disciplinary measures adopted as part of the policy may not include suspension or expulsion solely for violation of the policy; etc.

Limits and Unknowns

This entry is temporarily using official source text because the generated explanation could not be confirmed against the official bill text during the last sync.

Bill History

2026-02-23 House
Withdrawn by Sponsor
2026-02-17 House
Hearing canceled
2026-02-04 House
First Reading Ways and Means
2026-02-04 House
Hearing 2/18 at 1:00 p.m.
Maryland General Assembly
Text - First - County Boards of Education - Student Personal Electronic Device Use Policy - Establishment (Phones Away for the School Day Act)
Maryland General Assembly
Vote - House - Committee - Ways and Means

Official Summary Text

Requiring each county board of education to develop and implement, not later than the 2026-2027 school year, a policy prohibiting the use of a personal electronic device by a student during school day hours; providing the policy may not prohibit a student from using a personal electronic device for any purpose related to an individualized program or 504 plan; providing that any disciplinary measures adopted as part of the policy may not include suspension or expulsion solely for violation of the policy; etc.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

EXPLANATION: CAPITALS INDICATE MATTER ADDED TO EXISTING LAW.
[Brackets] indicate matter deleted from existing law.
*hb0755*

HOUSE BILL 755
F1 6lr1886

By: Delegate Wolek
Introduced and read first time: February 4, 2026
Assigned to: Ways and Means

A BILL ENTITLED

AN ACT concerning 1

County Boards of Education – Student Personal Electronic Device Use Policy – 2
Establishment 3
(Phones Away for the School Day Act) 4

FOR the purpose of requiring each county board of education to develop and implement, 5
not later than a certain sc hool year, a policy prohibiting the use of a personal 6
electronic device by a student during school day hours except under certain 7
circumstances; and generally relating to county boards of education and a student 8
personal electronic device use policy. 9

BY adding to 10
Article – Education 11
Section 7–137 12
Annotated Code of Maryland 13
(2025 Replacement Volume and 2025 Supplement) 14

SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 15
That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 16

Article – Education 17

7–137. 18

(A) (1) IN THIS SECTION THE F OLLOWING WORDS HAVE THE MEANINGS 19
INDICATED. 20

(2) (I) “PERSONAL ELECTRONIC DEVICE” MEANS ANY PORTABLE 21
ELECTRONIC DEVICE CARRIED OR TRANSPORTED BY A STUDENT TO RECEIVE, SEND, 22
OR RECORD VOICE, IMAGE, OR TEXT CONTENT. 23

2 HOUSE BILL 755

(II) “PERSONAL ELECTRONIC DEVICE” DOES NOT INCLUDE AN 1
ELECTRONIC DEVICE PR OVIDED BY A COUNTY B OARD FOR INSTRUCTION AL 2
PURPOSES OR A MEDICAL DEVICE PROVIDED BY A MEDICAL PROFESS IONAL FOR A 3
STUDENT’S HEALTH CARE NEEDS. 4

(3) “SCHOOL DAY HOURS ” MEANS ALL THE HOUR S OF THE SCHOOL 5
DAY FROM THE START OF THE DAY UNTIL THE END OF THE DAY. 6

(4) “STORE” MEANS TO SECURE IN A MANNER DETERMINED BY THE 7
COUNTY BOARD TO ENSU RE THE PERSONAL ELECTRONIC DEVICE IS NOT CARRIED 8
ON THE STUDENT’S PERSON. 9

(B) NOT LATER THAN THE 2026–2027 SCHOOL YEAR, EACH COUNTY BOARD 10
SHALL DEVELOP AND IM PLEMENT A POLICY TO PROHIBIT THE USE OF PERSONAL 11
ELECTRONIC DEVICES BY STUDENTS DURING SCHOOL DAY HOURS. 12

(C) EXCEPT AS PROVIDED IN SUBSECTION (D) OF THIS SECTION , THE 13
POLICY DEVELOPED UNDER THIS SECTION SHALL: 14

(1) PROHIBIT A STUDENT FR OM USING A PERSONAL ELECTRONIC 15
DEVICE DURING SCHOOL DAY HOURS; AND 16

(2) REQUIRE A STUDENT TO STORE THE STUDENT ’S PERSONAL 17
ELECTRONIC DEVICE DURING SCHOOL DAY HOURS. 18

(D) THE POLICY DEVELOPED UNDER THIS SECTION MAY NOT PROHIBIT A 19
STUDENT FROM USING A PERSONAL ELECTRONIC DEVICE F OR ANY PURPOSE 20
DOCUMENTED IN THE ST UDENT’S INDIVIDUALIZED EDU CATION PROGRAM OR 504 21
PLAN. 22

(E) EACH SCHOOL SHALL DES IGNATE ONE OR MORE T ELEPHONES IN THE 23
SCHOOL TO BE USED BY STUDENTS TO CONTACT A STUDENT’S PARENT OR LEGAL 24
GUARDIAN OR OTHER RESPONSIBLE ADULT DURING SCHOOL DAY HOURS IF 25
NECESSARY. 26

(F) (1) A POLICY DEVELOPED UND ER THIS SECTION SHAL L INCLUDE 27
APPROPRIATE DISCIPLINARY MEASURES FOR VIOLATIONS OF THE POLICY. 28

(2) A DISCIPLINARY MEASURE ADOPTED UNDER PARAGRAPH (1) OF 29
THIS SUBSECTION MAY NOT INCLUDE SUSPENSI ON OR EXPULSION SOLE LY FOR A 30
VIOLATION OF THE POLICY. 31

SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect July 32
1, 2026. 33
HOUSE BILL 755 3