The Talbot County Board of Education is moving early to meet Maryland’s new “bell-to-bell” restrictions on student cell phones—and is considering a stronger physical enforcement system to make the ban work.
The board voted 4–2 on July 15 to support the purchase of locking Yondr pouches for high school students, provided Talbot County Public Schools can find the money to pay for them.
Maryland’s new law, officially called the Joanne C. Benson Maryland Phone-Free Schools Act, took effect July 1. It requires every county school board to establish a policy by the 2027–28 school year prohibiting students from using personal electronic communication devices throughout the academic day.
The law is commonly described as “bell-to-bell” because it covers the full period from the first bell until dismissal, including classes, lunch, recess, passing periods and other transitions. It applies to cell phones, smartwatches, wireless earbuds, headphones and other personal communication devices, with exceptions for disabilities, documented medical needs, translation and approved caregiving responsibilities.
Talbot officials told the board that the district intends to align its own rules with the new state requirement during the 2026–27 school year, a year before the state deadline.
The board was not debating whether students should be allowed to use phones during the school day. Members appeared united behind the bell-to-bell restriction. Their disagreement centered on whether Talbot should do more than simply adopt the rule by requiring students to place their phones inside locking pouches.
Superintendent of Schools Sharon M. Pepukayi, Ed.D., said administrators recommended expanding the use of Yondr pouches from the middle-school grades to the high schools. The fabric pouches are secured with a magnetic lock and prevent students from gaining access to their phones until the pouch is released at an unlocking station.
Pepukayi said the pouches used at Easton Middle School and St. Michaels Middle High School have served as a deterrent and reduced the amount of time teachers spend arguing with students over phones. Without the pouches, she said, teachers and administrators could spend much of the day policing phones, earbuds and smartwatches. The estimated cost of supplying pouches to high school students is approximately $40,000.
Board President Emily L. Jackson supported the bell-to-bell ban but opposed buying the pouches. She questioned spending $40,000 after a difficult budget year and argued that the district’s existing system of escalating consequences could be enforced without purchasing a pouch for every student.
Jackson also raised concerns about older students who use their phones for transportation, jobs and activities outside school. Her son, she noted, uses his phone as his car key.
Board member Karla L. Wieland-Cherry also opposed the proposal. She questioned the future cost of replacing damaged pouches and suggested that high school students should take responsibility for putting their phones away.
Ann C. O’Connor supported the pouches but repeatedly stressed that the larger issue was enforcement. Any policy, she said, would succeed only if consequences were clearly communicated and consistently applied.
Deborah Bridges asked whether students could simply leave their phones in their lockers. Assistant Superintendent Helga Einhorn, Ph.D., said students return to their lockers throughout the day, creating ongoing temptation and another enforcement issue for school staff.
Vice President Amy R. Dodson questioned reports that some middle school students place their phones in the pouches without actually locking them. Administrators agreed to look further into compliance and replacement costs.
Dodson made the motion to approve the high school pouch program. After questions about the cost, the motion was amended to make the purchase dependent on finding funding. It passed 4–2, with Jackson and Wieland-Cherry opposed.
