State Senate studies ‘bell-to-bell’ cell phone ban in schools

Pennsylvania schools could soon be phone-free zones for students. 

The state Senate Education Committee held a public hearing Tuesday on cell phone policies in schools that focused on the effect of cell phone use on students, social development and learning – and dialing in on what a cell phone ban entails. 

Administrators and educational leaders were largely in agreement that the state needs to provide a broader state framework for cell phone usage while still ensuring local control is available for districts and schools to include specific policies or exceptions. Even for the students testifying on Tuesday, there were differing opinions on what type of cell phone ban would be best. 

Atticus Mitchell, a 10th-grade student in the Danville Area School District, spoke in favor of his school’s bell-to-bell ban, while Camryn Hoover, a 12th-grade student in the Milton Area School District, said an all-day prohibition would be overly restrictive. 

“I do understand the concerns that come with technology and phones within schools, especially psychologically on students that create anxiety, that FOMO – that fear of missing out,” Mitchell testified Tuesday. “But I do understand and believe that educators and teachers and administrations have the ability to do something amazing for students. They have the ability to instill and teach students growing up in a world of technology how to properly use their phones as tools, so that when they graduate and go out into the world, they won’t be lost.”

Hoover, who said her school allows phone use between classes, during lunch and for other activities, argued that students might view a bell-to-bell restriction as “harsh” and feel compelled to get their phone out during the day. Allowing students to check their phones between classes, she said, would keep students from feeling “disrespected and untrusted.’

“Most students would want to do it because it’s forbidden and it’s not accepted … I believe most students will be responsible with the necessary guidelines to have their cell phones in class,” Hoover said. “We are allowed to have them during lunch, in the halls, even sometimes when the teacher is just not teaching, so I think that has allowed for mutual trust.”

The hearing comes more than a week after a bipartisan group of state senators introduced legislation to prohibit student cell phone use in schools. 

Senate Bill 1014, sponsored by Republican state Sen. Devlin Robinson and Democratic state Sens. Vince Hughes and Steve Santarsiero, would require schools to implement an all-day cell phone ban, with exceptions including for students with medical conditions and individualized education plans. A similar piece of legislation has also been introduced in the state House by Democratic state Rep. Mandy Steele. 

Lawmakers also cited the work of PA Unplugged, a grassroots organization advocating for a “bell-to-bell” ban on cell phone use in schools. And although there was broad agreement on the need to address phone use, not everyone in the discussion was in full support of a ban that doesn’t allow use between classes or at lunch. 

“Currently, it is up to the locally elected school directors in each school entity to decide what their policy on electronic devices will be to assist school leaders with managing the use of cell phones and other electronic devices,” said Laura Morton, director of policy services at the Pennsylvania School Boards Association, who noted that 425 out of the state’s 500 school districts have some form of an electronic device policy in place. “Public schools across the state and nationwide are united in their goal of providing a safe and orderly educational environment to students, for students in which to thrive. Managing the use of electronic devices is not meant to deny students access to technology, but rather to set appropriate boundaries for its use to ensure students’ overall well being.”

Aaron Chapin, president of the Pennsylvania State Education Association, said only a bell-to-bell ban on cell phone use is “what’s going to make a difference in our children’s lives.” 

Expressing support for SB 1014, Chapin said it can also help limit the negative mental health effects that overuse and cyberbullying can cause. 

“We definitely need to make sure that mobile devices should include more than just smartphones, it needs to (include) tablets and watches – especially the watches,” Chapin said during the testimony. “We do believe it should be decided by the individual school entities. And even more important, these discussions should be held with the students. It needs to be held with the parents, school employees and the community. This needs to be a discussion that is had by all who are going to be affected.”

Last year, a similar legislative push in Harrisburg led to a $100 million grant program, led through the School Safety & Mental Health grant program, in which school entities could get grant money to buy cell phone storage bags for locking away students’ phones during classes. According to the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency, 18 public school entities –  out of more than 700 statewide – applied for funding in 2024-25 for lockable cell phone bags.

Lawmakers on Tuesday considered not only the degree to which cell phones could be restricted, but also the age groups that are most impacted, noting that some states have applied different restrictions to high school students compared to younger children. 

Lauren Gendill, policy analyst at the National Conference of State Legislatures, testified virtually Tuesday that 36 states and Washington, D.C. have passed legislation related to cell phone use in schools. 

“In these states, measures stipulate requirements for local policies set by school districts and governing bodies,” she told the legislators. “These provisions differ across states in terms of the conditions they set on students' use of cell phones, ranging from general policies to restrictions and prohibitions, as well as the exemptions they outline, such as those related to instructional special education, safety and emergency, and health-related purposes, along with measures that provide for teacher discretion.”

State Sen. Anthony Williams said with a few exceptions, “uniformity” would be an appropriate approach to any ban, adding that any regulations should take into consideration the role that devices have in providing access to information and connection to others. 

“This (phone) is their mechanism for being educated. They don’t necessarily have the most updated books. They’re not always given the most information. This is their lifeline, not just for safety, but for access to education,” Williams said. “I think you’re gonna have to figure that out if you’re gonna be talking about bell-to-bell policy.”

Gendill noted that several states have included exception provisions in their legislation, requiring communications and emergency response procedures and allowing for specific parent-student communication policies. She noted that Ohio strengthened its prohibition on use and that Florida has added a separate provision focusing on high school students' use during instructional time. 

The legislation awaits action in the state Senate.