Under the supplemental budget signed into law last week by Gov. Janet Mills (D), all Maine public school districts will be required to adopt a bell-to-bell cell phone ban by August of this year.
Accompanying this mandate is a $350,000 appropriation from the state’s General Fund.
This represents a departure from the policy adopted by lawmakers this past summer directing school boards to develop their own approach to regulating student cell phone use during the school day.
Although that measure originated as a statewide cell phone ban, it was later amended to preserve local control.
All members of the Education Committee who voted in support of this measure at the time backed the version leaving it up to the districts to adopt their own policies.
[RELATED: All Maine School Boards Have Just Over a Year to Decide on Their Student Cell Phone Use Policies]
Part GG of the state’s supplemental budget, however, mandates that all school boards “implement a policy prohibiting student use of personal electronic devices for the duration of the school day, from starting bell to dismissal bell.”
Student use of “cellular telephones and other personal electronic devices with Internet or cellular network capabilities” must be restricted.
The Department of Education and the Maine School Management Association are to coordinate in the development of a model policy that school boards may adopt.
Exceptions must be included in this model policy for compliance with a student’s individualized education program, a documented accommodation, the provision of medical care, or to fulfill translation needs when no other option is available.
School boards must have such a policy in place by August 1, 2026.
So how will we know what the kids are being subjected to if they cannot film the teacher? Can we get cameras in each classroom please?
No Islander, we want teacher cams, i.e. Cop cams that the teachers wear.
And as a former teacher, I would’ve loved to had one. There’s some FERPA issues involved, but I’d love to have a little clips on a laptop for parents night to show the parents just what type of person that their little darling is.
It’ll be just like the cop cams, the good cops want them because they’ve got something to show the sergeant. And a good teachers will want the cameras because they got something to show the principal and superintendent.
$350,000 just to have each school post a sign that says no cell phone usage during school hours? Good Lord, the largess is beyond belief!
What a mistake she made
Only took the democrats 25 years to figure this one out
Why does it cost $350,000 to tell kids that they can’t use their phones?
Nice job Janet, you stumbled into something good.
A broken clock is right twice a day.