No Cell Phones Allowed During Classes In Abington

ABINGTON TOWNSHIP, PA —Schools Superintendent Jeffrey Fecher has sent notice to the school community that cell phone usage will be prohibited in classrooms during the 2024-2025 school year.

The superintendent recently shared an update regarding student usage of cell phones in school during the recent Board of School Directors meeting and then sent the notice to the school community the following day.

"As you may know, a number of states across the country, as well as individual school districts, have enacted bans or limitations on the use of cell phones in schools, "Fecher said. "While no such legislation has yet been signed into law in Pennsylvania, there are several pieces of proposed legislation that have been debated within the State House and Senate."

The superintendent said that with the potential for new legislation on the horizon, plus concerns expressed by many parents and guardians regarding how much access students have to phones during the day, he asked principals to develop plans for reducing classroom distractions.

The plans are as follows:

• At the elementary level, principals will maintain a rule of no cell phones during the school day and will address individual concerns as they arise in grades K-5.
• At the Middle School and High School, cell phone holders will be purchased for use in instructional spaces. This means that each time a student walks into a classroom, they will place their phone into a pocket on the holder, which they will be able to retrieve before leaving class.

Principals Daniel File and Alice Swift will communicate details for implementation to families before the start of the school year, including exceptions that will be made for students who need their phones for health or accessibility reasons.

The superintendent said the school district will continue to monitor the bill currently going through state legislation to see if any modifications to plans are needed.

He also said that like all new procedures being implemented, school officials will evaluate the effectiveness of the initiative and adjust as needed.

"We believe these changes will benefit our students socially and emotionally, in addition to eliminating distractions in class, as there has been a growing body of evidence about how student mental health has been negatively impacted by cellphones over time, including being the focus of the Abington School District Leadership Team’s summer reading book, “The Anxious Generation” by social psychologist Jonathan Haidt," the superintendent said.

"We appreciate the support and understanding of our parents and guardians as we implement these new procedures to benefit our entire school community, the most important of them being our students, teachers, and staff," his notice concluded.