Mt. Pleasant Township parent Nicholas Molitor doesn’t let his 10-year-old daughter, Sadie, take her cellphone to school.
Molitor purchased the device three years ago for his daughter — who finished her fifth grade year at Mt. Pleasant Area’s Ramsay Elementary last week — to use in emergencies.
But during the school day, the phone stays at home, Molitor said.
The rule gives Sadie good practice for her future career, he said. In his former job at a Latrobe steel plant and his current position at Amazon, Molitor became accustomed to keeping his cellphone out of sight during the workday.
That is why he supports proposed state legislation that would ban student cellphone use from the first bell of the school day to the last.
“I think cellphones are distractions for students in class, especially when you’re going into the workplace,” he said. “It’s good to (experience) getting your phone put away or out of sight, out of mind.”
State weighs ‘bell-to-bell’ ban
School cellphone legislation has been pitched by state lawmakers for at least a year.
Rep. Mandy Steele, D-Fox Chapel, introduced the House’s initial cellphone ban bill, House Bill 1814, in August. Sen. Devlin Robinson, R-Bridgeville, followed in October by introducing Senate Bill 1014.
The House voted Monday to amend both bills to include the same language, said Beth Rementer, spokesperson for House Majority Leader Matt Bradford. The House bill moved to the Senate and the Senate bill remains in the House, meaning either chamber could give the legislation final approval and send it to Gov. Josh Shapiro.
Shapiro told the General Assembly in January he would sign a bill requiring schools to implement a “bell-to-bell” cellphone ban.
Aaron Chapin, president of the Pennsylvania State Education Association, released a statement Monday commending the House. He said 28 states have passed similar legislation, 19 of which implemented “bell-to-bell” bans.
“It is time to ensure that every student in Pennsylvania can go to school without distracting smartphones, smartwatches and tablets derailing classroom learning,” Chapin said.
Soft skills enhanced
Seneca Valley High School is one step ahead of the state, having installed a “bell-to-bell” policy last fall.
With no phone access and no schoolwork on the first day of class, then-senior Genevieve Citrone watched as her classmates silently stared at the wall during study hall.
“It was so weird seeing everyone be silent without their little bricks in front of them,” said Citrone, who graduated last week from the Butler County high school.
Citrone laughed when district administrators first announced the policy.
“We were like, ‘This is going to last a few weeks and then teachers are going to give up on taking our phones,’” she said. “But then people tested it too much, and they were really cracking down on it.”
By midyear, Citrone noticed a shift away from her once-quiet study hall.
Students with schoolwork huddled in a corner to complete assignments. Others played games, worked on puzzles, drew or talked to their neighbors.
“I felt my soft skills being enhanced,” she said. “It was face-to-face conversation and problem solving with people that I, maybe, didn’t have anything in common with, maybe people that didn’t necessarily like me.
“We were in this classroom together. We didn’t have anything else to do. This was real human connection as opposed to what we’ve been made to believe real human connection is online, on social media.”
Annie Bumsted, a rising senior at the Ellis School, saw her grades improve and her academic stress decrease this year during the Shadyside college-prep school’s first year with a “bell-to-bell” policy.
Bumsted, 17, of Fox Chapel used to spend her study hall scrolling on Instagram until she lost access to her phone.
“Last year, I kind of struggled a little bit, especially in the winter. I turned in a lot of late assignments. I was kind of falling behind,” she said. “And this year, I didn’t see that at all. All my assignments were able to be turned in on time. I didn’t feel behind or super stressed out in any of my classes.”
Student: Ban isn’t foolproof
In Quaker Valley student Ruth Whitacre’s eyes, a cellphone ban only solves part of the problem.
The district instituted “no phone zones” this school year, prohibiting students from using personal devices during class and study hall.
But Whitacre, who will be a senior this fall, still saw classmates scrolling through TikTok, watching TV shows and listening to music during class.
Whitacre, 16, of Sewickley tends to stay off her phone. Despite permission from her parents to download social media apps, the platforms haven’t piqued her interest.
District-issued iPad tablets, intended for schoolwork, present just as many issues, Whitacre said.
“It just seems kind of hypocritical,” she said. “You have to use a screen one way or the other. Taking away the phones is just the tip of the iceberg.”
‘This is not just about my kids’
Kelly Marsh, a Quaker Valley parent who supports banning student cellphone use, considers her advocacy a public health intervention.
Marsh, of Sewickley, is a co-lead for PA Unplugged, a nonprofit advocating for phone-free schools and low-tech childhoods. She was encouraged by Monday’s legislative push.
“This is not just about my kids,” said Marsh, whose children Nora and Jonas completed third and first grade on Tuesday. “This is about the community that I want for them, and it’s about what’s best for all students in Pennsylvania across the board.”
Marsh is heartened by the widespread support for the legislation.
“Philosophically, Pennsylvania is there, and we are thrilled,” she said. “Just procedurally, we have to get this passed before the November deadline.”
Mark Heverly, a math teacher at Greensburg Salem Middle School, views cellphone restrictions as a benefit. He has raised two children in the district — a son who graduated in 2025 and a daughter who is starting her senior year.
“I think it is a positive step,” said Heverly, of Greensburg. “It helps kids stay focused while they’re in school. They’re here to learn. There could be some parents that like to get a hold of their kids quite often throughout the day. This keeps the distractions at a minimum.”
‘Digital citizenship’ needed
New Kensington-Arnold administrators began reviewing the district’s cellphone policy this school year, but paused discussions when the state legislation was proposed, Superintendent Chris Sefcheck said.
The district prohibits students in kindergarten through sixth grade from bringing cellphones to school. Seventh through 12th graders can use phones between classes, but in-class use is left to teacher discretion.
Sefcheck acknowledges cellphones can be a classroom distraction, but he is not sold on state-mandated legislation as the solution.
A state mandate brings additional work for school districts, Sefcheck said, including drafting policies, amending student handbooks and discipline codes, and documenting violations.
“Where I think that districts need to step up is digital citizenship and teaching kids the right way to use phones and when it’s appropriate, when it’s not appropriate,” he said. “We’re educators. We’re supposed to be teaching not just content but how to be a better contributing member of society, and we’re responsible for that.
“Now that we’re (possibly) going to ban them in the classroom, we still have to teach about them because they do exist and kids are going to go home and use them.”
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Western Pa. schools consider cellphone policies
Several Western Pa. school districts already have some kind of cellphone restrictions in place.
Penn Hills, Monessen City and Shady Side Academy have in recent years purchased Yondr pouches, locking bags where students store their cellphones during the school day.
Students at Woodland Hills place their phones in a container associated with their last class of the day, according to the district’s website. Teachers at Plum Borough School District collect students’ phones at the start of each class period.
Pittsburgh Public Schools decided in December to ban cellphones during the school day, a policy district officials previously said will go into effect in the fall.
Some schools are rethinking their cellphone policies amid the proposed state legislation.
Jeannette City School District unanimously approved in May an initial version of an updated policy and must vote for a second time in June before it is officially on the books. The policy, which would go into effect for the 2026-27 school year, would allow building principals leeway to permit cellphone use for educational purposes or other reasons.
Allegheny Valley’s school board voted down a more restrictive cellphone policy in April.