Students file through the doors of State College Area High School for the start of the school year, bearing the question: How do Pennsylvania schools handle student phone use on campus?
Under the PA Act 55 of 2024, schools are not required to ban phones in school, but it does create a voluntary grant program to help districts enforce policies that restrict their use.
The act also added $100 million to the grant fund, but in order for the districts to receive state funding, they are required to establish a plan to reduce the use of phones by 2026.
The state left it up to the individual districts to make their own decisions regarding phone rules, with some guidelines in place as well. These guidelines include, but are not limited to: the ability to unlock funding for lockable cell phone bags, participating schools being required to track changes in students’ mental health and tracking stats such as bullying incidents, violence and academic performance.
Ninth grade principal Danielle Ambrosia said, “Pennsylvania doesn’t have a statewide ban at this time. There have been a lot of schools that have just banned them wholly. It’s really a district to district decision right now.”
The State College Area School District has a phone restriction process with phones allotted in non-instructional spaces, such as the cafeteria and the hallways.
Students are not allowed to have phones in classrooms or areas deemed as more private, such as bathrooms, counselors’ offices or the nurse’s office.
Freshman Henry Poole said, “They’re allowed before the bell rings in class.” Poole is referring to the bell schedule, with phones being allowed in class if you arrive early before the bell rings, signaling the start of class.
“Mrs. Tobias is very adamant that our students are mature enough to handle having their phones on their person, and that as a school, she’s not comfortable with banning that at this time,” Ambrosia said.
How does this compare to other schools around the state? Penns Valley Area School District in Centre Hall has different phone rules than State High.
“I know Penns Valley has banned them…and that has been going well for them. I don’t think they had any issues with that,” Ambrosia said.
Penns Valley is strictly phone-free, with phones having to be out of sight, in either a backpack or a locker. They can only be used in emergency situations and medically exempt students are able to use them. Although, teachers can approve of use when in their individual classrooms deemed only for academic purposes. Violating this rule can lead to confiscation of the device, and after further offenses it can lead to detentions and eventually suspension.
Most of the rules and regulations regarding phones at State High actually revolve around the teachers’ choices and decisions. In the SCASD Student/Family Handbook under the Electronic Device Procedure section, is written, “If the device is used inappropriately, teachers may confiscate the device for the instructional period only and it should be returned at the end of the period…high school teachers maintain the right to implement their own procedures regarding electronic devices.”
“Sometimes in classrooms, teachers want you to use your phone. Like maybe there’s an assignment that the app you’re using is just easier, more user-friendly on your phone…that is really up to your teacher,” Ambrosia said.
This is the second year of the new phone procedure at State High, and it is not subject to change in the near future. However, there is Pennsylvania House Bill 1814 and a bipartisan push in the State Senate that could potentially restrict or ban the use of cell phones in Pennsylvania schools in the future.
