3 Pennsylvania lawmakers will introduce legislation to make all schools phone-free
Three state senators announced they will be introducing legislation to make all schools in Pennsylvania phone-free, and already a dozen are signed on as co-sponsors.
The bipartisan bill is sponsored by State Sen. Devlin Robinson, a Republican representing part of Allegheny County, along with two Democrats who represent Philadelphia and Bucks County.
They cite the growing body of research showing the harms of smartphone use in kids and teenagers, including mental health challenges and declining test scores. They also point to a poll of teachers showing 83% want phones banned the entire day, and many parents have reached out to Sen. Robinson about the issue.
"I've heard from a lot of parents in my district that they are tired of their children being distracted in schools," Robinson said. "Think about how much money it costs to educate students. Do you want your investment to be distracted and derailed at schools? Students are there for a reason. They're there for learning. They're there for reading, writing and arithmetic, and the phone is getting in the way."
Two-thirds of states have enacted cell phone restrictions in schools, and 17 have what's known as "bell to bell" policies, where schools are phone-free the entire day, including lunch and in hallways.
Robinson said he intends for the Pennsylvania legislation to be "bell to bell," but let school boards decide the details and how to enforce it.
He intends to introduce the legislation this fall.