Pennsylvania’s Bell-to-Bell School Phone Ban Is Now Law
Gov. Josh Shapiro signed Senate Bill 1014 into law on Monday, Oct. 26, at Lenape Middle School in Doylestown, in the Central Bucks School District. The measure is now Act 117 of 2026. It takes effect immediately, and schools must adopt bell-to-bell cellphone policies by the start of the 2027-28 school year.
The Senate concurred 47-3 on Oct. 21, and the House had passed the bill earlier by a vote of 141-62.
The law applies to public, charter, cyber charter and private schools. The ban covers the entire school day, not only class time. It includes lunch, recess and the time between classes, and it applies to any personal device that can connect to the internet.
Schools are not required to collect students’ phones. Each school decides how phones are kept out of use, whether in lockers, pouches or another designated storage spot. Shapiro said one approach will not fit every school, according to WHYY, and that schools will not be told exactly how to do it.
The law includes exceptions. Students may use a device for a medical need, under an individualized education program or disability accommodation, for translation as English learners, or for instruction approved by a principal. Schools must set up emergency contact procedures, seek public input while writing their policies and post the policies online.
Central Bucks, where the signing took place, has run its own phone ban for about two years. Shapiro said students need to spend less time on their phones and more time learning and spending time with each other face to face.
Sen. Devlin Robinson, the bill’s sponsor, has said teachers should not have to compete with smartphones for students’ attention. Rep. Mandy Steele, who pushed the bill in the House, has said she backed it because children need it. The Pennsylvania State Education Association has also supported the law.
Pennsylvania now joins the states with a statewide bell-to-bell restriction. Each school district must have its policy in place before the 2027-28 school year begins.
