Baltimore County Limits Laptop Access for Younger Students
Baltimore County Limits Laptop Access for Younger Students in 2025
Starting next school year, elementary and middle school students in Baltimore County Public Schools will no longer be allowed to take home school-issued laptops—a major policy shift from the district’s previous 1:1 student-to-device model. Additionally, elementary school students will not be assigned individual laptops during the school day.
The announcement was made in a brief Facebook post from the school system on Friday, offering little explanation and prompting a wave of questions from parents. The post indicated that middle school students will still have access to devices, but how that access will work appears to be up to each school.
Messages sent to families at several middle schools in late May suggest that the rollout of the new policy is still being finalized. A May 28 note from Cockeysville Middle School said families would receive more details during summer and back-to-school events. A day later, Dumbarton Middle’s principal informed parents that all middle school principals had been asked to develop individual device-use plans.
High school students will not be affected by the change.
Parents online have expressed concern about how the decision will affect virtual learning on weather days and students’ ability to complete assignments at home. Some have also speculated that the policy stems from ongoing budget pressures in the district.
Baltimore County has long been ahead of the curve on digital learning. In 2014, it became one of the first large districts in Maryland to provide laptops to all students in grades 1–12. That policy was scaled back in 2019 for the youngest learners, and reliance on devices spiked again during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The district has since leaned heavily on digital tools like Amira Learning, an AI-based reading program praised by Superintendent Myriam Rogers for boosting literacy.
Still, many families lack access to personal computers at home, raising equity concerns as the district pulls back on take-home devices.
Baltimore County used all three of its allotted inclement weather days this past school year and shifted to remote learning for a fourth. Without take-home devices, it’s unclear how future virtual instruction days will be handled.
