Maryland 2025 Regular Session

Maryland Senate Bill SB29 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1
2	2
3	3
4	4	SENATE BILL 29
5	5	F1 5lr0820
6	6	(PRE–FILED)
7	7	By: Senators Waldstreicher and Ready
8	8	Requested: September 12, 2024
9	9	Introduced and read first time: January 8, 2025
10	10	Assigned to: Education, Energy, and the Environment
11	11
12	12	A BILL ENTITLED
13	13
14	14	AN ACT concerning 1
15	15
16	16	Education – Phone–Free Schools Pilot Program – Establishment 2
17	17
18	18	FOR the purpose of establishing the Phone–Free Schools Pilot Program; requiring certain 3
19	19	local school systems to develop and implement a policy that prohibits student cell 4
20	20	phone use during the school day, subject to certain exceptions; and generally relating 5
21	21	to the Phone–Free Schools Pilot Program. 6
22	22
23	23	BY adding to 7
24	24	Article – Education 8
25	25	Section 7–136 9
26	26	Annotated Code of Maryland 10
27	27	(2022 Replacement Volume and 2024 Supplement) 11
28	28
29	29	SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 12
30	30	That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 13
31	31
32	32	Article – Education 14
33	33
34	34	7–136. 15
35	35
36	36	(A) (1) IN THIS SECTION THE FOLLOWING WORDS HAVE THE MEANI NGS 16
37	37	INDICATED. 17
38	38
39	39	(2) “ELIGIBLE LOCAL SCHOOL SYSTEM” MEANS: 18
40	40
41	41	(I) THE CARROLL COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM; AND 19
42	42
43	43	(II) THE MONTGOMERY COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM. 20
44	44
45	45	(3) “INSTRUCTIONAL TIME ” MEANS ANY TIME DURIN G THE SCHOOL 21
46	46	DAY, EXCEPT A STUDENT ’S LUNCH PERIOD . 22
47	47	2 SENATE BILL 29
48	48
49	49
50	50	(4) “PILOT PROGRAM” MEANS THE PHONE–FREE SCHOOLS PILOT 1
51	51	PROGRAM. 2
52	52
53	53	(B) THERE IS A PHONE–FREE SCHOOLS PILOT PROGRAM. 3
54	54
55	55	(C) THE PURPOSE OF THE PILOT PROGRAM IS TO COLLECT DATA TO 4
56	56	DETERMINE THE EFFEC T OF LOCAL SCHOOL SYSTEM POLICIES THAT LIMIT STUDENT 5
57	57	USE OF CELL PHONES DURING THE SCHOOL DA Y ON: 6
58	58
59	59	(1) ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT ; 7
60	60
61	61	(2) STUDENT CLASSROOM ENG AGEMENT; 8
62	62
63	63	(3) STUDENT SOCIAL INTERA CTIONS; AND 9
64	64
65	65	(4) STUDENT BEHAVIOR AND DISCIPLINE. 10
66	66
67	67	(D) (1) EACH ELIGIBLE LOCAL SCHOO L SYSTEM SHALL SELECT ONE 11
68	68	MIDDLE SCHOOL AND ON E HIGH SCHOOL IN THE COUNTY TO PARTICIPATE IN THE 12
69	69	PILOT PROGRAM. 13
70	70
71	71	(2) EACH ELIGIBLE LOCAL S CHOOL SYSTEM SHALL : 14
72	72
73	73	(I) DEVELOP AND IMPLEMENT A POLICY THAT PROHIBITS 15
74	74	STUDENT CELL PHONE USE DURING INSTRUCTIONAL TIME; AND 16
75	75
76	76	(II) ESTABLISH PROCEDURES TO ENFORCE THE POLIC Y, 17
77	77	INCLUDING APPROPRIAT E DISCIPLINARY MEASU RES FOR VIOLATIONS . 18
78	78
79	79	(3) THE POLICY DEVELOPED UNDER THIS SUBSECTION MAY NOT 19
80	80	PROHIBIT A STUDENT F ROM USING A CELL PHO NE: 20
81	81
82	82	(I) FOR ANY PURPOSE DOCUM ENTED IN THE STUDENT ’S 21
83	83	INDIVIDUALIZED EDUCA TION PROGRAM OR SECTION 504 PLAN; 22
84	84
85	85	(II) TO MONITOR OR ADDRESS A STUDENT’S DOCUMENTED 23
86	86	HEALTH ISSUE; OR 24
87	87
88	88	(III) WHEN DIRECTED BY AN E DUCATOR OR ADMINISTR ATOR 25
89	89	FOR EDUCATIONAL PURP OSES. 26
90	90
91	91	(E) (1) EACH ELIGIBLE LOCAL S CHOOL SYSTEM SHALL COLLECT DATA 27
92	92	REGARDING THE STUDENT CELL PHONE U SE POLICY, INCLUDING: 28 SENATE BILL 29 3
93	93
94	94
95	95
96	96	(I) ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT OF STUDENTS IN THE S CHOOL; 1
97	97
98	98	(II) STUDENT CLASSROOM ENG AGEMENT; 2
99	99
100	100	(III) STUDENT SOCIAL INTERA CTIONS, INCLUDING BULLYING , 3
101	101	CYBERBULLYING , AND HARASSMENT ; 4
102	102
103	103	(IV) STUDENT BEHAVIOR AND DISCIPLINE; 5
104	104
105	105	(V) ENFORCEMENT CHALLENGE S; 6
106	106
107	107	(VI) STUDENT FEEDBACK ON THE POLICY; 7
108	108
109	109	(VII) TEACHER FEEDBACK ON THE POLICY; AND 8
110	110
111	111	(VIII) PARENT OR GUARDIAN FE EDBACK ON THE POLICY. 9
112	112
113	113	(2) ON OR BEFORE SEPTEMBER 1, 2026, EACH ELIGIBLE LOCAL 10
114	114	SCHOOL SYSTEM SHALL SUBMIT A REPORT BASED ON THE DATA CO LLECTED UNDER 11
115	115	PARAGRAPH (1) OF THIS SUBSECTION TO THE DEPARTMENT AND , IN ACCORDANCE 12
116	116	WITH § 2–1257 OF THE STATE GOVERNMENT ARTICLE, THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY 13
117	117	ON THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE PILOT PROGRAM. 14
118	118
119	119	SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect July 15
120	120	1, 2025. 16