A bill that passed the state House on Monday would require Pennsylvania schools to ban students’ use of cellphones from the first bell of the school day to the last.
The bipartisan bill, sponsored by state Rep. Mandy Steele, D-Fox Chapel, now goes to the Republican-controlled Senate, which previously passed similar legislation of its own. Gov. Josh Shapiro, a Democrat from Montgomery County, has expressed support for banning cellphone use in schools.
“Children’s mental health, academic health and physical health is being dramatically impacted by these screens. This is the biggest threat to children’s health and well-being that I can think of,” Steele said in a phone interview.
Steele said some school districts across the state have taken steps to address the issue, but she there “needs to be a uniform, state-level policy.”
An analysis by Education Week shows 29 states have so-called “bell-to-bell” cellphone bans in place, eight prohibit use during classes and two states don’t specify how far schools should go in restricting cell usage. A dozen states, including Pennsylvania, don’t have a statewide policy.
Steele said her bill requires the state’s schools to develop bell-to-bell policies.
Beyond that, she said, “It is up to the school district to craft a policy on how that is going to be done and all the policies that will associated with this law. The school districts will determine how to handle violations of the policy.”
The bill would allow for some exceptions, including students who need to use a mobile device for medical reasons, approved educational purposes or language translation during classes.
This story will be updated.