When Abington School District students return to class in September, there will be new rules in place preventing them from using their cell phones during the school day. The district is the latest to adopt the policy that advocates say can improve learning and students' mental health and that is gaining support from lawmakers in Harrisburg and in other parts of the country.
Abington School District Superintendent Jeffrey Fecher announced the policy at a school board meeting Tuesday night and shared a letter with the community explaining the decision. Fecher said parents had approached him with concerns about how much access their kids have to phones during school hours. He then asked principals to come up with plans to "help reduce these distractions" at Abington's schools.
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Middle and high school students in Abington will be required to put their cell phones in holders that the district is purchasing for its classrooms. When students get to class, they'll put their phones into pockets on the holders and then pick them up when they leave class. At elementary schools, principals will have no cellphone rules in effect during the day. Fecher said individual concerns will be addressed as they arise at these schools..
The district said details about the policy's implementation will be shared with students and their families before the start of the school year. Exceptions will be made for students who need their cell phones for health or accessibility reasons. The district didn't say whether students will be permitted to use their phones between classes and during lunch periods. Schools that have adopted cell phone restrictions have had varying policies about usage outside of class time.
"We will evaluate the effectiveness of this initiative and adjust as needed," Fecher said.
Last month, Pennsylvania lawmakers approved a $100 million program that gives school districts the option to purchase lockable cell phone bags where students can place their phones when they enter classrooms. The voluntary program aims to help school districts and policymakers evaluate how restricting cell phones impacts students, faculty and families.
The bill's sponsor, state Sen. Ryan Aument (R-Lancaster), has said he wants to pursue a statewide ban on cell phone use during school hours.
"Students' cellphone use in schools is a major issue, not just when it comes to classroom distractions, reduced student attention spans, and declining academic performance – it also negatively impacts their mental health and social skills," Aument said after lawmakers voted on the legislation. "The data is clear and has confirmed what parents, teachers, and administrators are experiencing in the classroom."
Last summer, the School District of Philadelphia updated its guidance surrounding cell phones, saying students shouldn't be using personal devices during class time. At Science Leadership Academy, a magnet public high school in the Spring Garden neighborhood of North Philly, ninth grade teachers tested out a policy last year similar to the one planned in Abington. Teachers at SLA were pleased with the way students interacted with each other more when their cell phones were put away.
"Methodology will vary, sure – but after this year I don't think I can ever be convinced that kids should have these things on their person as they work," Matthew Kay, a teacher at SLA, wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
Schools districts in Los Angeles and New York City, two of the largest public school systems in the country, each plan to move forward with cell phone bans in the upcoming school year. New York City public schools Chancellor David Banks reinstated the city's cell phone restrictions at schools after they previously had been in place under former Mayor Michael Bloomberg.
"We are seeing the harmful effects of these phones and the access to the internet all across the nation," Banks told Education Week. "In fact, across the world, kids have become fully addicted to these phones."
U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy has increasingly raised awareness of the dangers of excessive social media use among young people. He recently called for such platforms to display warning labels, though critics have warned that going overboard with bans could keep kids from accessing online mental health resources. Murthy said in June that cell phones don't belong in classrooms.
"Schools should ensure that classroom learning and social time are phone-free experiences," he said. "Parents, too, should create phone-free zones around bedtime, meals and social gatherings to safeguard their kids' sleep and real-life connections — both of which have direct effects on mental health."
At least 11 states have passed some type of law to address cell phone use at schools, from outright bans to required policies and incentive programs. In New Jersey, a growing number of school districts, including in Willingboro and Pennsauken, have implemented policies requiring students put their phones in pouches. Delaware has an incentive program that helps schools purchase supplies to restrict cell phones.
Some opponents of banning cell phones in schools believe doing so prevents students from communicating with their parents, who may want to coordinate out-of-school activities or be able to reach their kids during emergencies. Others think bans work poorly, limit student independence and fail to account for how phones could be used to improve teaching and learning methods.
Fecher said the policy in Abington was partly inspired by psychologist Jonathan Haidt's book "The Anxious Generation," which delves into how cellphones, social media and changing parenting styles have altered childhood development.
"We believe these changes will benefit our students socially and emotionally, in addition to eliminating distractions in class, as there has been a growing body of evidence about how student mental health has been negatively impacted by cellphones over time," Fecher said of Abington's policy.
