Gov. Josh Shapiro signed a statewide cellphone ban for all Pennsylvania schools on Monday, Oct. 26, turning existing Radnor and Haverford district policies into law.
Senate Bill 1014 requires every public, private, charter and cyber charter school to prohibit students from using personal cellphones throughout the school day, including during lunch, recess and between classes, Patch reported. The ban takes effect at the start of the 2027-28 school year. Each district must adopt its own enforcement policy before then.
Shapiro said at a signing ceremony at Lenape Middle School in Doylestown, Bucks County, that schools would be empowered to craft their own approach but would not be told how to do it. The law allows exceptions for students with documented medical conditions, those on individualized education programs (IEPs) and those with permission from a school administrator. Schools must also notify families of their policies and explain how to reach the school in an emergency, according to WHYY.
Haverford says little will change
Haverford Township School District officials said the new law fits with what they already have in place. The district's current policy prohibits students from using personal electronic devices during the school day and bans their use in locker rooms, bathrooms and health suites at all times, according to the Delaware County Daily Times.
Superintendent Dr. Matthew Hayes said officials had reviewed district policies and compared them to the bill. Hayes said the bill's four exceptions are very similar to the district's existing rules and that he does not believe the law will change any of the district's practices, the Daily Times reported.
Board member Dave Schwartz noted the district's existing exceptions for IEPs and health and safety would be consistent with the new law. When board member Antoinette Snodgrass asked whether the Legislature would provide additional guidance on what "bell-to-bell" means, board Vice President Chris Shelton said indications were that lawmakers would not.
"We get to interpret it. That's so fun," Snodgrass said.
Radnor already ahead of the curve
Radnor High School adopted its own bell-to-bell ban before the 2025-26 school year after an earlier experiment with phone pouches fell short. During the 2024-25 year, some students slipped calculators and fake phones into the pouches, WHYY reported in August.
The school switched to a simpler "off and away" rule. Principal Joe MacNamara told WHYY the change brought more face-to-face conversations among students and a decrease in course failures, though he was careful not to attribute all the improvement to the phone policy alone.
No formal response from the Radnor Township School District to the signing of SB 1014 was available as of Oct. 26.
What the law means for families
Pennsylvania joins more than two dozen states with a full bell-to-bell cellphone restriction. Pennsylvania State Education Association (PSEA) President Aaron Chapin said in a statement that the law is an essential step toward reducing classroom distractions and improving student behavior, academic performance and mental health.
Both the House and Senate passed the measure by wide margins earlier in October, according to Main Line Media News. Families in both districts should expect updated cellphone policies before the 2027-28 school year begins in fall 2027.
