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By Janice Godshalk
By this time next year, students may not be able to have phones at all during class times.
Right now, the Senate is working on a bill that would, effectively, place a bell to bell ban on phones.
The bill, SB 1014, will make it so students don’t use their cell phones in school unless it is for extenuating circumstances.
If it goes into effect in the 2027-2028 school year, SB 1014 currently states that at the beginning of that year , districts will send a letter to parents. This letter will tell parents that students are not allowed to use their phones on school grounds.
Of course, there will be exceptions to the policy to account for certain situations.
The exceptions are for people who need mobile devices for medical conditions, 504 accommodations, translating English, and when instructed by a teacher, but only if it is approved by a school official.
Eric Sampson, guidance counselor, believes that the reception by students will be mixed. The mix is between pupils who are frustrated by not having phones and students who will be motivated by it.
Photo credit: Janice Godshalk
A group of students phones in Kristin Kresge’s 12th grade CP english class, in the phone holder during class.
The guidance office is a place you can go to call parents, even now, if it is needed for extenuating circumstances.
The principal and vice principal of Pen Argyl Area High School Nolan Gerencser and Amber Krisukas, agree that seeing the bill play out in real time is the only real way to see the impact it will have on the school community.
Gerencser said, “With all proposed changes that may affect public education in Pennsylvania and the nation, I do not form an opinion until the process has played out completely. Even then, my opinion does not matter. Lawmaking is a complicated and lengthy process. It would be inappropriate for me to comment on something that is not currently, and may never be, a state law. My priority is always continuing to serve PAAHS to the best of my ability.”
If SB 1014 goes into effect, Jason Oakley, science teacher, is looking forward to more engagement with students. He trusts that it will follow a similar way that it did when the school started not letting phones be in classes as much.
Oakley vocalized how it was a struggle for teachers to enforce the behavior at first, but the principals should be able to educate the students who rebel. He concluded that he believed most students would do the “right thing.”
Alison Cesare, art teacher, expressed that she is of the opinion that the ban will improve students’ mental health and grades. She suspects that “The schools will get more push back from parents than from the kids.”
Kristin Kresge, English teacher, already has a ban on phones in her room. She remarked, “I worry that it might be difficult at first, but with kindness and respect, every student will manage the day without it.”
Addison Manning, senior, commented that, “Cell phones are disruptive to the teacher and other students, as well as disrupting the student’s own learning.”
Brady Mutton, English teacher, hypothesized, “I think students will need some time to adjust from what they are accustomed to, but they will quickly see the benefits and improve their social skills.”
In the last few years, there has been a craze in many states banning phones in various ways, including Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Pennsylvania would be the 19th state in the nation to enact a bell to bell ban if the bill passes.
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