The Maryland General Assembly has passed the Maryland Phone Free Schools Act, a new cell phone policy for schools in Maryland that will go into effect in the 2027-2028 school year. School districts will have to adopt a new policy that restricts the use of cell phones and personal devices during school hours. This will impact RMs current policy, which allows phone use during transition times and at lunch. Under the new act, phones will only be allowed during school hours for health needs, educational reasons, and emergencies.
Q: What is your opinion of next year’s phone policy?
Chinese Teacher Hai Lan Wei: The aim of this policy is good, but I am sure that if the requirements become too harsh for students, it may cause difficulties in communication with parents. If we need to do some data, cell phones are much better than computers and laptops.
Sophomore Sophia Wang: I find it somewhat ridiculous since we already have a cell phone policy where we can’t use it in class, which I believe is a smart way to limit phone usage in class, which is beneficial. However, between bell to bell, students want to connect with each other, and with this limited time they do have with their cell phones,
I think this is a crucial moment for them to connect with their students, peers, whatever. And having cell phone usage limited for like, five minutes in between, I think it’s extreme.
Senior Emily Liu: I think that in theory, phones are definitely a distraction for a lot of students because it’s a very easy device that can access games or social media or things that would definitely distract students from listening or paying attention in school, but also placing a strict restriction on it, I feel like it could pose some sort of a risk because students obviously have to stay in contact with their families just in case something goes wrong.
Junior Selvin Mendoza: I would only ban them during class, not the whole day. Why would it be banned during lunch when you are in high school, and sometimes people feel comfortable when they are with their phones, and sometimes people don’t have friends, and they just have their phone to have fun?
Q: Do you think phone usage has been disruptive under our current policy?
Ms. Wei: I think cell phone use in school is actually disruptive. Cell phones have great potential to district people from lessons. It happens when they check their messages, email, some calls, or watch a movie. Of course the problem disappears when phones are used in a proper way.
Liu: I know when I go on my phone during class sometimes or I get absorbed in something on my phone, like, I definitely tune out a lot of what the teacher is saying, or what the work we’re supposed to be doing is. But I know some students, they’re responsible enough that their grades are on the line, so they just wouldn’t use their phone during class. And also I feel like it’s also a thing of respect. If you want to respect your teacher you wouldn’t really just go on your phone during class. So I feel like, I mean, they are distracting, but I feel like students can be responsible for that on their own.
Q: Do you think the policy will be effective?
Mendoza: It could help some students pay more attention.
Ms. Wei: I don’t think the policy will be very effective, since some students will still watch their phones in class, I think it really depends on how strictly teachers enforce it.
Wang: Well, I do know students don’t use their phones in class already, so I think that they take advantage of that period to use their phones in the transitional times. 
So I don’t think students will take this seriously as much. However, if teachers do enforce this policy, I feel that many students will dislike it.
Liu: It’s definitely up to the teacher to enforce it, because I feel like in some classes, the teacher doesn’t really care, but in the other classrooms, the teacher will see your phone like once and then they’ll take it for the rest of class, so I feel like it’s definitely up to the teacher to be however strict they want about it, but maybe if there’s a consequence for the teacher, like the school itself, like everyone will have like a more strict no tolerance policy, and then students will realize that the policy isn’t very flexible and that they’ll be forced to put away their phones.
