PITTSBURGH —
A new Pennsylvania law requires all public, private, and charter schools to adopt policies restricting cellphone use during the school day, with implementation required by the 2027-28 school year.
At Pittsburgh Public Schools, students already hand over their phones at the start of each day under a district-wide policy introduced last spring.
“I think there was an indication that it might pass in the spring. And so we wanted to be in lockstep with state policy,” said Gene Walker, Pittsburgh Public Schools board president.
He continued, saying, “For the most part, students, they get it. They turn their phone in, they get it back at the end of the day. They’re not really missing anything except some notifications that they probably can’t and shouldn’t look at during school anyway.”
What Other Districts are Doing
Montour School District Superintendent Christopher Stone said, “In anticipation of upcoming restrictions on student cell phone use, Montour School District has taken a phased approach to implementation that has been well received by parents and students.”
In Montour schools, phones must be turned off and kept in lockers or book bags, though high school students are allowed to use their phones during lunch.
The statewide ban includes exceptions for students or immediate family members with medical conditions requiring phone use, students whose Individualized Education Program (IEP) accommodations include a phone, students who use phones for translation purposes, and special exceptions granted by school principals.
‘I Don’t Believe that it was Necessary’
Woodland Hills School Board member Darnika Reed said her district implemented a cellphone ban years ago, but she opposed it then and continues to do so.
“In 2016, when there were abuse cases that were in the media, a cell phone is the reason why our students were safe. That’s the reason why it broke out in the media in the first place. If it weren’t for a child having a cell phone and recording the principal, we might still have children being abused in the school district. So that’s why I’m against it,” Reed said.
Reed also questioned the need for a statewide mandate.
“The school districts, we’re the ones who interact with the families. We know the needs of our students. So I don’t believe that it was necessary to have a state ban,” she said.
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