Advocates say a soon-to-be new Pennsylvania law banning cellphones in school will help students focus on learning and interacting with their peers.
The state Senate this week passed the final version of a bill requiring the implementation of bell-to-bell phone bans, and Gov. Josh Shapiro is expected to sign the bill, SB1014. The new law would go into effect next school year.
This comes as children are living a “screen-based childhood” according to Kelly Marsh. She is advocacy lead for PA Unplugged, a statewide coalition that advocates for protections for children and promote screen-free activities.
“Protecting our kids in the digital world is not a partisan issue,” she said. “Every single legislator we met with, and we have met with over 60 from Pennsylvania over the last two years, there wasn’t a single one that didn’t agree that we needed to do more.”
Beth Sanborn, president of the Pennsylvania Association of School Resource Officers, said educators are competing for students’ attention because many are addicted to screens.
“We’re excited at the prospect of students to be able to interact again,” she said. “And really just have a safe environment where they can learn and grow and have that safety net put into place without all of these external distractors.”
Currently, school districts have varying policies around cellphone use.
Aaron Chapin, president of the Pennsylvania State Education Association, said the law will help school districts enforce and implement the policies that work best for them.
“I think it’s going to make the job a lot easier for educators and staff,” he said. “This really sets forth a standard across the Commonwealth.”
State Rep. Peter Schweyer (D-Allentown), Chair of the Pa. House Education Committee, is pleased that the bill allows flexibility for English language learners and special needs students, and does not require mandatory confiscation.
“If the school district thinks it’s right they can allow the student to keep the cellphone on their person so long as it’s away or in a backpack or something like that,” he said. “It provides a level of comfort to parents that if the most tragic situations were to occur.”
While the bill aims to bring more focus into classrooms, students still have access to computers and tablets.
Lawmakers turn to AI in schools
While the cellphone ban aims to reduce distractions in the classroom, students will continue to use school-issued computers and tablets. That technology has raised additional questions about student privacy and the use of artificial intelligence in schools.
Several bills introduced in the Pennsylvania House would establish new rules for AI in education.
Schweyer introduced HB2785 to provide data privacy requirements for schools, part of a package of bills recently introduced to address a “critical gap” with the emerging technology in classrooms.
“We need to make sure that our school districts… are acquiring technology that protects their student data, that reduces the likelihood that AI will be used for deep fakes, for inappropriate uses, and that AI can be used ethically,” he said.
HB2787 would prohibit schools from using AI chatbots for mental and behavioral health services.
“We do not think this bill alone is going to solve the mental health crisis,” Marsh said. “So this is definitely the next big issue, is the safety and wellbeing and security of our kids dealing with these school-issued devices and the applications that are installed on them, including AI.”
