October 22, 2026
Julie Vennitti Botos/USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
Cellphones will be prohibited in all public and private schools in Pennsylvania starting next school year after a ‘bell-to-bell’ ban passed the state House and Senate this week.
The use of cellphones will be prohibited in Pennsylvania classrooms starting next school year after a "bell-to-bell" ban was passed by the state legislature this week.
State Senators passed the measure by a 47-3 vote Wednesday, two days after the House approved it by a 141-62 vote. It now heads to the desk of Gov. Josh Shapiro, who has affirmed that he will sign it into law.
"I called for this in my Budget Address and repeatedly urged the legislature to act," he wrote in a Facebook post Wednesday evening. "And now, we've brought Democrats and Republicans together to get this done for our students and our educators. It's time to get back to the basics in school and let our kids be kids."
The bill directs public and private school officials to adopt policies that prohibit the use of mobile devices during the school day, establish enforcement protocols and to send written notification of the guidelines to parents and guardians. Policies must be established by the start of the 2027-28 school year.
Exceptions will be allowed for students who require a mobile device due to a medical condition, students with individualized education programs that specify needs for mobile devices and English-language learners who use mobile devices for translation purposes. Mobile devices also will be permitted for certain lesson plans.
Sen. Vincent Hughes (D-7), who sponsored the legislation, said the ban will help address a growing percentage of adolescents who feel overwhelmed by social media and struggle with self esteem because of their phone use.
"This new law will remove that distraction during school time and limit the strain on students' mental health, allowing them to focus on the classroom and socializing with peers," he said in a statement.
The proper use of technology in schools have emerged as a critical issue for educators, administrators and parents around the Philadelphia area.
In August, seven families filed a lawsuit against Lower Merion School District for prohibiting parents from opting their students out of using school-owned computers connected to the internet for lessons, claiming it provided students access to pornography, gambling sites, violent videos and other content. District officials urged a federal judge to deny the injunction, claiming the parents were "fearmongering" about the use of digital devices in the classroom.
The School District of Philadelphia has adopted a "multi-tiered" approach to its technology policies, allowing the principals of each school to implement solutions that work best for its student body.
Some administrators like Megan Wapner, principal of James Rhoads School in Mill Creek, have said that requiring her K-8 students to keep their cellphones in magnetically-locked Yondr pouches has made a clear difference in the academic and social health of the school. But, Marla Travis, principal of West Philadelphia High School, expressed concerns that a statewide ban on cellphones would negatively impact the attendance rates of older students.
"Children are very vulnerable and these phones are like their lifeline," she said in August. "I could see a percentage of children saying, 'Well, if I can't take my phone, I'm not going to school.' That's a problem. We would have to talk more in depth about what that ban would look like, but we have to get our kids to school."
