Prince George’s County Public Schools (PGCPS) Cell Phone Policy, 2026–27

PGCPS phone policy at a glance

Policy

Board Policy 5132 and Administrative Procedure 5132, Portable Electronic Devices (procedure last revised June 3, 2019)

Default

Off or on silent and stored in a backpack, bag, pocket, purse or locker whenever use isn’t permitted

Allowed

Instructional use with approval; on PGCPS buses (not while getting on or off); other times a principal allows, such as lunch, before or after school, activities, or an emergency with staff permission

Never allowed

Locker rooms and bathrooms; sexting; unauthorized recording or posting; bullying or harassment

Staff requests

Students must turn off and put away a device when staff ask, or face discipline and possible confiscation

Discipline

Under the 2026–27 Student Rights and Responsibilities Handbook, which lists persistent or repeated unauthorized use as a PED offense

School rules

Individual schools publish their own phone rules within the procedure

Last verified Oct. 12, 2026 against the district’s published policy and the state law it cites. Sources are listed at the end of this page.

What the PGCPS procedure says

Administrative Procedure 5132 encourages instructional use of portable electronic devices with administrator approval. At times when use isn’t permitted, devices must be turned off or put on silent and stored out of sight in a backpack, book bag, pocket, purse, locker or vehicle. Students may use devices on PGCPS buses as long as it doesn’t affect safe operation, but not while getting on or off.

The principal decides when else students may use devices at school, such as at lunch, in designated areas, before or after school, at after-school activities, or in an emergency with staff permission. Devices are never allowed in locker rooms or bathrooms, and students may not use them for sexting, for unauthorized recording or posting, or to bully or harass. Staff can tell a student to turn off and put away a device at any time; refusing can lead to discipline and confiscation by the principal.

The 2026–27 Student Rights and Responsibilities Handbook lists “persistently having out or using a PED without permission, or inappropriately using a PED after being warned” as an offense. Because principals set the times, phone rules differ from school to school; check your school’s page.

How it fits Maryland law

Maryland's Joanne C. Benson Phone-Free Schools Act (HB 525; Chapter 596 of 2026), approved by Gov. Wes Moore on May 26, 2026, requires every county board to have a policy in place no later than the 2027–28 school year. The policy must bar student use of devices for the whole academic school day, from the first bell to the dismissal bell, including lunch, recess and passing periods, and must require devices to be stored so they are not carried on the student's person. Discipline must be tiered and may not include suspension or expulsion solely for a violation. Each county board reports to the state every year starting Sept. 1, 2027.

Under the new law, PGCPS will need a policy by the 2027–28 school year that bars phone use from the first bell to dismissal, including lunch, and keeps phones off students’ persons. Its current procedure, which dates from 2019, lets principals allow phones at lunch and lets students keep them in a pocket.

More detail is in our guide to Maryland’s school phone law and the phone-free school laws by state directory.