Politicians in Pennsylvania should focus on real issues, not cellphones
Earlier this month, the Pennsylvania Senate voted to ban cellphones in schools in the name of improving “focus,” “mental health,” and “academic performance.” All the important buzzwords. The idea sounds amazing, but most school districts have cellphone policies with consequences that the school district is responsible for administering. Since politicians in Harrisburg can’t be the ones enforcing a cellphone ban in schools, the legislation doesn’t have meaningful consequences. Its sponsors seem to have championed it mostly for photo opportunities.
Ironically, one of the main things Democrat-run school board members ran on in Central Bucks School District was keeping politics out of schools. I guarantee the Democrats on school boards will now applaud this unenforceable law and act so grateful that state legislators are getting involved in schools because many school directors couldn’t figure out how to do things themselves. They’re happy to cede local education policy to state lawmakers like State Senator Steve Santarsiero (D-Doylestown) who heads the Bucks County Democratic Committee and who is heavily involved in advancing this bill.
We live in a digital world where communication, information, learning, and connections happen through phones. Rather than teaching them how to use phones responsibly, politicians think they can just remove them — which is impossible. Many parents don’t want their kids to have phones or social media accounts. I support a parent’s decision to not give a child a phone or social media access, but school “bans” will hardly make a difference on whether other parents get their kids phones or not. They also won’t stop technology or social media at all.
I am not sure why any Republicans would support this nanny state type of regulation, yet GOP state senators — with the sole exception of York County’s Dawn Keefer — voted for it. Republicans are supposed to like less government interference. Honestly, politicians did such a poor job helping children during Covid with masking and school closures, the less they meddle with kids the better. Politicians don’t manage classrooms, build relationships with students, or deal with the day-to-day realities of education, yet they are eager to impose sweeping mandates anyway. I think it’s dangerous.
Obviously, phones in class are a learning distraction. I do not think kids should be on phones during instructional class time. I personally want my child to have a phone on them for many reasons. The first is safety; God forbid the worst-case scenario happens and a school shooter gets into a building. I want my child to have a phone in an emergency. I cannot imagine any parent would not want to access their child in that horrible situation, which is a reality in today’s world. Why would politicians think locking away a device that could potentially save lives help anyone? Democratic politicians are always stating how dangerous schools are because the thousands of gun laws in America don’t keep schools safe. But now they want to lock away a device that allows students to contact police in an emergency? It doesn’t make any sense.
I want students to be able to take pictures or record any of the political nonsense leftists are pushing on kids. For example, across Bucks County, they are pushing kids to protest law enforcement. So many online clips of activist teachers trying to politically influence kids were taken by kids who knew it was wrong and recorded it. It makes sense that Democratic politicians want to stifle that accountability. Why would Republicans?
This is a classic case of political overreach into schools. Rather than supporting educators, lawmakers are stepping in to score easy talking points, even when schools have already handled the issue. If a district wants stricter rules, it can create them. If another wants more flexibility, it should have it. Politicians shouldn’t override educators who know their students. Instead of punitive bans or political mandates, schools should be allowed to refine their existing policies and adopt smart guidelines. Teachers should be trained in managing digital distractions and students should be taught digital responsibility.
Cellphones aren’t going away. Rather than fighting technology or letting politicians dictate classroom management, schools should be trusted to teach students how to use cellphones wisely. That’s a lesson far more valuable than any ban.
Jamie Walker is a former teacher and a Central Bucks School District mom of three.
