“Ban Guns Not Phones” —Maryland Students Face the Phone Free Schools Act
Updated: 18 hours ago
An MCPS-created graphic promoting the new “bell to bell, no cell” policy.”
The Maryland Phone Free Schools Act
In March 2026, the Maryland Phone Free Schools Act passed through the Maryland House of Delegates and the state Senate. Sponsored by Senator Kevin Harris, this bill prohibits the use of cell phones by students at any time of the school day, including non-instructional time blocks, transition times, lunch, and recess, at all levels of education, beginning in the 2027-2028 school year. While the enforcement of this policy was left up to local school districts, the main idea is the same: no phones, all day—including for high schoolers.
This past summer, Montgomery County Public Schools, already leaning towards this policy before its statewide implementation, decided to put the phone ban into effect for the county a year early, announcing that effective August 25, 2026, the “Bell to Bell, No Cell” policy would be used.
Prior to this, different secondary schools had varying phone policies; while most middle schools held the away-all-day standard, MCPS high schools generally banned phone use during instructional time, but allowed the use of them during transition time and lunch. Inappropriate phone use is a violation of the MCPS Student Code of Conduct, and a cell phone use continuum is used as a reference guide for proper disciplinary measures.
Many schools, Rockville among them, used Yondr Pouches or other magnetic locked phone pouches controlled by administration. Teachers and staff are empowered to take a student’s Personal Mobile Device (PMD) and put it in a locked pouch for the duration of a class period or the day for using it when not allowed. Rockville high school acted as a pilot program for locked phone pouches, but now, “getting pouched” is a common experience for high school students, and doubly so this year due to the total ban on PMDs.
Student Pushback
High school students in MCPS express varying opinions on the phone ban. “I’m not for this policy whatsoever…I play sports, and it becomes really hard to communicate with coaches or teammates,” says Sarah Nayani, a 10th grader at Rockville High School. She cited an instance where she was late to practice due to weather causing changes to practice times and location, but was unable to check her phone for updates during school. On the other hand, Ave Chama, also a Sophomore at RHS, explained that while she didn’t like how the enforcement of the policy was carried out, saying that teachers often overreacted when seeing a cellphone or even an earbud when connected to a school-authorized laptop, she also understood the new policy— “One of the main reasons I love camp so much is because we don’t have our phones, and so it's kind of nice to be in the same environment at school.”
On the state level, students throughout Maryland have shown anger and frustration toward the new policy. Nearly 10,000 signatures strong, the “Amend Maryland’s Phone-Free School Policy” petition has been one of the most active student protests on the topic thus far. “...smartphones are not just entertainment devices. They are crucial tools for learning and safety. Students might want to use their phones to check on homework, coordinate after-school activities, or simply connect with loved ones for emotional support,” petition writer Chyna Washington wrote in the accompanying article.
Thousands of supporters of the petition took to the comments section with one primary concern—while educators and public officials are so focused on taking phones out of the school environment, they don’t seem to be nearly as concerned with the growing number of school safety incidents and acts of violence on campus. Students cited personal experiences with safety threats, calling for Maryland to focus on gun violence and more imminent issues, not on cellphones. “The world has changed. ICE [sic] raids are happening…if I didn’t have my phone how would I say my last goodbye to a family member that got detained?” One commenter wrote.
MCR’s Stance on PMDs
Among the Montgomery County Regional SGA’s “Policy Planks” is one on Personal Mobile Devices: “We support students maintaining access to their personal mobile devices (PMDs) in case of student safety emergencies.” MCR Educational Policy director Karmaan Saxena explained that “An accessible PMD is one that is not visible or disruptive but on their person, in pockets, backpacks, non-locked PMD pouches inside a classroom, etc, just to name the most common examples.”
MCR hosted testimony at the Board of Education, and it was a great opportunity for students to make their voices heard. Around 20 students testified about the new phone policy, and Dr. Taylor and the Board listened to student concerns and said they would take student feedback into account as they plan for next school year. MCR was also recognized for how organized, respectful, and structured their testimonies were.
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