HARRISBURG, Pa. (WHTM) \u2014 Gov. Josh Shapiro (D) called on state legislators to pass a cellphone ban in Pennsylvania schools.<\/p>\n
Bipartisan lawmakers introduced legislation back in October<\/a> that would require K-12 schools to implement a bell-to-bell phone-free policy for the 2026-27 school year. Bell-to-bell bans generally prohibit students from using cellphones on school grounds at public and parochial schools, including during homeroom, lunch and recess.<\/p>\n Close<\/a><\/p>\n Thanks for signing up!<\/p>\n Watch for us in your inbox.<\/p>\n Subscribe Now<\/p>\n Shapiro backed such a ban in a social media post Thursday.<\/p>\n \u201cStudents need to spend time focused on learning, on socializing with their peers, and on developing the critical skills they\u2019ll need later in life,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n The bill, officially known as Senate Bill 1014, has not yet been brought for a full vote in the State Senate or House.<\/p>\n The Pennsylvania State Education Association, the union representing educators and support staff in the state, backed the bill. Aaron Chapin, president of the union, said children\u2019s brains aren\u2019t developed enough to handle the technology and the impulses it targets.<\/p>\n But students who made the trip to Harrisburg in October for a committee hearing on the bill argued a total ban would break trust<\/a> between students and teachers, as well as remove a teachable moment from the classroom.<\/p>\n Many states moved in recent years to regulate cellphones in schools. New York became the largest state to ban students from using cellphones throughout the entire school day in 2025. More than a dozen states have some sort of ban in place, but Pennsylvania does not.<\/p>\n What difference does 2 hours make? Pennsylvania schools respond to cold with days of delays <\/a><\/p>\n The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has encouraged states to pass bell-to-bell legislation under Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.<\/p>\n \u201cAll the schools that we tour that have adopted that legislation, the grades have gone up, the disciplinary problems are going down,\u201d Kennedy said in an exclusive interview with abc27 News<\/a>. \u201cI went into the cafeteria \u2014 the kids are actually talking to each other.\u201d<\/p>\n Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.<\/p>\n