Pennsylvania's Senate on Wednesday approved a bill to encourage school districts to start a pilot program that effectively bans students' use of cellphones during the school day in an effort to improve their mental health and academic performance.
The bill's sponsor, Republican state Sen. Ryan Aument of Lancaster, said he hopes that limits on phone use will result in improvements in students' mental health and academic performance. Under the bill, the policy must provide exemptions for students who have a documented medical condition that requires them to use a cellphone. Participating school districts must track changes over two school years in student mental health, bullying, violence and academic performance.
Most schools already have rules regulating student phone use. But a growing number of state officials have begun endorsing school cellphone bans, and such legislation is emerging in other states.