Baltimore County Public Schools phone policy under Maryland law, serving ~110,000 students in Baltimore. Maryland's General Assembly passed the Joanne C. Benson Phone-Free Schools Act (HB 525) on April 11, 2026. As of May 7, 2026, the bill has not been independently confirmed as signed by Gov. Wes M
Baltimore County Public Schools is a public school district headquartered in Towson, Maryland (Baltimore County), serving approximately 110,000 students across the Baltimore area. Like every district in Maryland, its cell phone rules are shaped by state law — and by how well the policy is actually enforced on each campus.
Does BCPS ban cell phones?
Not yet statewide — but HB 525 (2026) — Joanne C. Benson Maryland Phone-Free Schools Act (passed both chambers; awaiting Gov. Moore action) is moving through the Maryland legislature and would require it. In the meantime the district sets its own policy, and most districts its size already restrict phones.
For the full statute, scope, effective date, and primary sources, see our guide to Maryland's phone-free school bill, part of our phone-free school laws by state directory.
Enforcing a phone-free day across Baltimore
Districts that adopt enforcement before a statewide mandate lands avoid scrambling later — and help shape what compliance looks like in Maryland. At 110,000 students, BCPS's scale is exactly where the enforcement method matters most: a policy that works in one classroom has to work across dozens of campuses at once.
Three enforcement models districts choose from
- • Physical pouches (e.g., Yondr): a per-student cost that recurs as pouches are lost or damaged, plus daily distribution and unlocking logistics multiplied by every campus — and little compliance data.
- • District storage (lockers, caddies, classroom bins): low hardware cost, but it relies on staff to police compliance period after period.
- • Device-level software (LockedIn): OS-level locking, campus geofencing, and automated reporting — deployed identically to every school in the district with no daily logistics.
LockedIn is a software-based phone-free campus solution built for districts like BCPS. It locks student phones at the operating-system level on the devices students already carry, ties enforcement to school hours and campus geofences, and gives administrators a live dashboard plus automated compliance reports — exactly what a Maryland district needs to show enforcement is real. There's no hardware to ship, lose, or replace across Baltimore. Compare the options in our phone-free campus solution comparison or the LockedIn vs. Yondr breakdown, and model the math with our pouch-vs-software cost calculator.
What BCPS schools can do next
Any Towson-area school can go phone-free in under a day with LockedIn. Draft a compliant policy with our free phone-free school policy generator, then contact our team for a district quote. Title I schools in Maryland may also qualify for subsidized access.
Explore other Maryland school districts or browse phone-free school coverage by district.