A school bus parked in Upper Burrell Township in Westmoreland County on January 16, 2026. (Photo by John Beale for the Pennsylvania Capital-Star)
On Monday, the House of Representatives voted to ban students from using cell phones in the classroom by the beginning of the 2027-2028 school year.
Billsponsored by Rep. Mandy Steele (D-Allegheny), applies to both public and private schools and allows exceptions for students with individual learning plans, medical needs, language barriers or family members with documented medical conditions. School principals would also have the ability to create exceptions for reasons not specifically addressed in the policy, including teaching considerations.
Similar bill it already passed in the GOP-controlled state Senate with near-unanimous support in February.
“We must remove smartphones from schools so that children can learn, play, talk and laugh, negotiate conflicts, make eye contact, be curious, be children again, free from the most addictive and harmful device that has ever faced humanity,” Steele said on the floor on Monday. “We must act in the face of a public health crisis of this scale.”
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The 126-75 votes crossed party lines, with Democrats and Republicans taking both sides of the issue.
Steele noted bipartisan support in her remarks.
“In times of great political polarization, there is an issue that transcends divisions,” she said. “Democrat, Republican, independent – anyone who has eyes for children – can see that something is very wrong.”
Several Republicans also spoke in favor of the bill.
“Fellows, ask me – ask yourself – does a cell phone in a child’s hand serve the needs of the Commonwealth while he or she is at school? No, it does not,” said Rep. Russ Diamond (Lebanon).
But members of both parties also spoke out in opposition. Primarily, concerns centered on whether lawmakers in Harrisburg should ban cell phone utilize in all of Pennsylvania’s 500 school districts, rather than allowing individual school boards to create their own tailored policies.
“Who knows each school district best,” said Rep. Greg Vitali (D-Delaware). “Is it the governor sitting in his office on Capitol Hill, or are elected school board members living in the community and interacting with these students?”
Gov. Josh Shapiro called on lawmakers to pass a cell phone ban in schools during his February budget speech.
Vitali said about 420 of Pennsylvania’s 500 school districts have already adopted some form of cellphone policy. Some of these include prohibitions during class time rather than throughout the school day.
Rep. Nikki Rivera (R-Lancaster), a high school Spanish teacher for 30 years, said she shared concerns about taking control from individual school boards, but decided to support it after the bill was amended.
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“I have watched the evolution of this bill, and while I believe it should not be legislation and should be in school policy, here it is before us,” Rivera said. “Given the evolution of this bill, I think I will vote in favor of it.”
When the middle appeared before the House Education Committee in Aprilmembers expressed concerns about exceptions to the ban.
MP Bryan Cutler (Lancaster) then objected, arguing that allowing people planning to learn how to utilize mobile phones could result in disclosure of students’ disabilities and create a two-tier enforcement system.
He also expressed concerns about the proposal applying to both public and private schools.
That panel ultimately agreed to expand exceptions to the ban to students who have family members with documented medical conditions. The Senate will have to agree to the amended House version before the bill goes to Shapiro’s desk for his signature.
