| 1 | 1 | | |
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| 2 | 2 | | |
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| 3 | 3 | | EXPLANATION: CAPITALS INDICATE MAT TER ADDED TO EXISTIN G LAW. |
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| 4 | 4 | | [Brackets] indicate matter deleted from existing law. |
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| 5 | 5 | | *hb0630* |
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| 6 | 6 | | |
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| 7 | 7 | | HOUSE BILL 630 |
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| 8 | 8 | | F1 5lr1316 |
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| 9 | 9 | | CF SB 368 |
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| 10 | 10 | | By: Delegates Boafo, Grammer, Holmes, Kaufman, Lehman, Mangione, McComas, |
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| 11 | 11 | | Pasteur, Patterson, Pena–Melnyk, Phillips, Schindler, Taylor, Tomlinson, |
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| 12 | 12 | | Vogel, and Wims |
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| 13 | 13 | | Introduced and read first time: January 23, 2025 |
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| 14 | 14 | | Assigned to: Ways and Means |
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| 15 | 15 | | |
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| 16 | 16 | | A BILL ENTITLED |
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| 17 | 17 | | |
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| 18 | 18 | | AN ACT concerning 1 |
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| 19 | 19 | | |
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| 20 | 20 | | County Boards of Education – Student Cellular Phone Use Policy – 2 |
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| 21 | 21 | | Establishment 3 |
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| 22 | 22 | | (Maryland Phone–Free Schools Act) 4 |
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| 23 | 23 | | |
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| 24 | 24 | | FOR the purpose of requiring each county board of education to develop and implement, 5 |
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| 25 | 25 | | not later than a certain school year, a policy limiting the use of a cellular phone by a 6 |
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| 26 | 26 | | student during the school day except under certain circumstances; and generally 7 |
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| 27 | 27 | | relating to county boards of education and a student cellular phone use policy. 8 |
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| 28 | 28 | | |
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| 29 | 29 | | BY adding to 9 |
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| 30 | 30 | | Article – Education 10 |
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| 31 | 31 | | Section 7–136 11 |
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| 32 | 32 | | Annotated Code of Maryland 12 |
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| 33 | 33 | | (2022 Replacement Volume and 2024 Supplement) 13 |
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| 34 | 34 | | |
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| 35 | 35 | | SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 14 |
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| 36 | 36 | | That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 15 |
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| 37 | 37 | | |
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| 38 | 38 | | Article – Education 16 |
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| 39 | 39 | | |
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| 40 | 40 | | 7–136. 17 |
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| 41 | 41 | | |
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| 42 | 42 | | (A) IN THIS SECTION , “INSTRUCTIONAL TIME ” MEANS ANY TI ME DURING 18 |
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| 43 | 43 | | THE SCHOOL DAY , EXCEPT A STUDENT ’S LUNCH PERIOD . 19 |
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| 44 | 44 | | |
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| 45 | 45 | | (B) NOT LATER THAN THE 2026–2027 SCHOOL YEAR , EACH COUNTY BOARD 20 |
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| 46 | 46 | | SHALL DEVELOP AND IM PLEMENT A POLICY TO LIMIT THE USE OF CEL LULAR 21 |
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| 47 | 47 | | PHONES BY STUDENTS D URING INSTRUCTIONAL TIME. 22 2 HOUSE BILL 630 |
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| 48 | 48 | | |
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| 49 | 49 | | |
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| 50 | 50 | | |
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| 51 | 51 | | (C) EXCEPT AS PRO VIDED IN SUBSECTION (D) OF THIS SECTION , THE 1 |
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| 52 | 52 | | POLICY DEVELOPED UND ER THIS SECTION SHAL L: 2 |
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| 53 | 53 | | |
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| 54 | 54 | | (1) PROHIBIT A STUDENT FR OM USING A CELLULAR PHONE DURING 3 |
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| 55 | 55 | | INSTRUCTIONAL TIME ; 4 |
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| 56 | 56 | | |
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| 57 | 57 | | (2) REQUIRE A STUDENT TO STORE THE STUDENT ’S CELLULAR 5 |
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| 58 | 58 | | PHONE IN A SECURE PL ACE DURING INSTRUCTIONAL TIME ; AND 6 |
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| 59 | 59 | | |
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| 60 | 60 | | (3) PROHIBIT A STUDENT FR OM USING THE SOCIAL MEDIA 7 |
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| 61 | 61 | | APPLICATIONS AND SOC IAL MEDIA WEBSITES DETERMINED BY THE CO UNTY BOARD 8 |
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| 62 | 62 | | DURING SCHOOL HOURS . 9 |
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| 63 | 63 | | |
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| 64 | 64 | | (D) THE POLICY DEVELOPED UNDER THIS SECTION M AY NOT PROHIBIT A 10 |
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| 65 | 65 | | STUDENT FROM USING A CELLULAR PHONE : 11 |
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| 66 | 66 | | |
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| 67 | 67 | | (1) FOR ANY PURPOSE DOCUM ENTED IN THE STUDENT ’S 12 |
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| 68 | 68 | | INDIVIDUALIZED EDUCA TION PROGRAM OR SECTION 504 PLAN; 13 |
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| 69 | 69 | | |
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| 70 | 70 | | (2) TO MONITOR OR ADDRESS A STUDENT’S DOCUMENTED HEALTH 14 |
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| 71 | 71 | | ISSUE; 15 |
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| 72 | 72 | | |
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| 73 | 73 | | (3) DURING AN EMERGENCY E VENT; OR 16 |
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| 74 | 74 | | |
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| 75 | 75 | | (4) WHEN DIRECTED BY AN EDUCATOR OR ADMINIST RATOR FOR 17 |
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| 76 | 76 | | EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES . 18 |
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| 77 | 77 | | |
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| 78 | 78 | | (E) (1) A POLICY DEVELOPED UND ER THIS SECTION SHAL L INCLUDE 19 |
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| 79 | 79 | | APPROPRIATE DISCIPLI NARY MEASURES FOR VI OLATIONS OF THE POLI CY, 20 |
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| 80 | 80 | | INCLUDING A WARNING FOR AN INITIAL VIOLATION. 21 |
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| 81 | 81 | | |
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| 82 | 82 | | (2) THE DISCIPLINARY MEASURE S ADOPTED UNDER PARAGRAPH (1) 22 |
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| 83 | 83 | | OF THIS SUBSECTION SHALL BE ENFORCED BY AN ADMINISTRATOR . 23 |
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| 84 | 84 | | |
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| 85 | 85 | | SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect July 24 |
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| 86 | 86 | | 1, 2025. 25 |
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| 87 | 87 | | |
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