PA Gov. Shapiro Presses For Cell Phone Ban In Schools

PENNSYLVANIA — Gov. Josh Shapiro is urging state lawmakers to approve legislation that would require schools to implement a bell-to-bell ban on cell phones and mobile devices.

In a post on X on Thursday, Shapiro endorsed a bill introduced in the state Senate in October that would require K-12 schools to adopt a totally phone-free policy beginning in the 2027-28 school year. Bell-to-bell bans typically bar students from using cellphones on school grounds at public and parochial schools even during homeroom, lunch and recess.

"It’s time for us to get distractions out of the classroom and create a healthier environment in our schools. Students need to spend time focused on learning, on socializing with their peers, and on developing the critical skills they’ll need later in life," Shapiro stated. "I’m calling on the State Legislature to send a bill to my desk requiring our schools to implement policies that take cell phones and mobile devices out of kids’ hands from the time they start class until the time they leave for home — helping teachers and kids focus on learning."

The Senate bill, approved unanimously by the Senate Education Committee last month, would require school districts to establish the manner in which a student's possession of a mobile device is to be restricted during the school day.

It mandates that at the beginning of each school year or upon enrollment, each school must notify the methods for a parent or legal guardian to contact their child during the school day and how to sign up for emergency notifications. It also would require that any method of contact provided to parents and legal guardians be staffed during the school day.

The ban would not apply to students who require a mobile device due to a medical condition; students involved in an individualized education plan in which a mobile device is part of the instruction; students who use a mobile device for translation or other English as a second language purposes and students with other special circumstances.

According to an ABC News report in September, 20 states (including Washington D.C. and the Virgin Islands) have completely banned wireless communication devices. Sixteen states are not as restrictive and allow individual school districts to set their own policies. Pennsylvania is among 17 states that have not banned the use of wireless communication devices in schools on the state level.