The Pennsylvania Senate passed SB 1014 last week, a bill to create cellphone-free classrooms from bell-to-bell in K-12 schools across our Commonwealth. As Senator Devlin Robinson (R–37), Senator Vincent Hughes (D–7), and I were writing the bill, we worked with many stakeholders to address concerns from parents, teachers, administrators, and school board members. This policy did not originate in Harrisburg, but in the lived experiences of parents, educators, and students who have seen firsthand how constant access to cellphones is reshaping the school day.
SB 1014 is a common-sense, science-backed response to a problem families and teachers have been raising for years: phones in classrooms undermine learning, attention, and student well-being. Today, students spend nearly eight hours a day on screens, the equivalent of a full-time job, and that constant digital pull follows them into the classroom. Parents and educators consistently report that students are more focused, more engaged, and more present when phones are not competing for their attention. States across the country are acting on this evidence, with at least 18 already enacting bell-to-bell bans. Pennsylvania now has a clear opportunity to follow suit beginning in the 2027-28 school year.
This legislation came together the way good policy should — by listening first.
Local parent advocates working with PA Unplugged and Wait Until 8th reached out to my office to share their concerns and their research, and to urge consideration of a bell-to-bell cellphone policy in Pennsylvania. One of PA Unplugged’s co-leads, Kirstin McGowan, a constituent of mine, became a key collaborator in shaping the bill and pointed me to work on this policy that was already happening in the Central Bucks School District. There, even a more limited instructional-time cellphone restriction has already delivered meaningful benefits for students and educators. Christie Besack, a psychology teacher at Central Bucks High School West, told me that since the implementation of the policy last year, “teachers and students feel like a weight has been lifted off of their shoulders.”
From there, the cellphone-free schools bill was strengthened through collaboration. Parents, educators, local school board members, mental health professionals, and advocates worked alongside my office and the offices of Senators Robinson and Hughes, the Pennsylvania State Education Association and PA Unplugged to create a proposal that reflects classroom realities. Before SB 1014 was formally introduced, I hosted an in-person discussion on cellphone-free schools in September 2025 to hear directly from subject-matter experts and community members and to listen to questions and concerns. That conversation continued with a virtual discussion on December 9, ensuring even more voices could be part of the process.
As a former teacher, this issue is deeply personal to me.
That same day, SB 1014 advanced out of the Senate Education Committee with unanimous bipartisan support. Momentum continued on February 3 when Governor Josh Shapiro highlighted a bell-to-bell cellphone ban in his annual budget address and urged the General Assembly to send such a bill to his desk. Later that afternoon, the Senate did just that, passing SB 1014 by a vote of 46-1 and sending it to the House for further consideration.
As a former teacher, this issue is deeply personal to me.
Distraction-free classrooms are about creating the conditions students need to learn, connect, and fully experience the school community. Our students are missing critical social and educational development when they’re looking down at a phone instead of participating in conversations in and out of the classroom.
SB 1014 demonstrates what is possible when we focus on proven policies that respond to real problems and when lawmakers take their cues from the people closest to the issue. Parents, educators, and students helped lead this effort, and I am proud to have helped carry their voices to make the policy stronger.
As SB 1014 continues its path through the legislature, it offers a model for how we can tackle other pressing challenges facing our Commonwealth — by listening, collaborating, and committing to solutions that make everyday life better for Pennsylvanians. If you agree, please visit my website for more information on SB 1014 and sign our petition to support cellphone-free schools. Call your local state representative and make sure they support the bill (you can find your representative here).
This policy has been fundamentally shaped through citizen advocacy and participation, and we need your help to get it across the finish line.
