Carlisle Area School District is the latest district to join a growing list of central Pa. schools adopting bans for electronic devices, including cellphones.
CARLISLE, Pa. — Editor’s note: The attached video is from February 2024.
Students at Carlisle High School won’t be allowed to have their phones on them during most of the school day starting this August.
School board directors adopted Board Policy #237 Thursday night that allows school administrators to revise the district’s rules over the possession and use of electronic devices. Carlisle elementary and middle schools already have a near total ban in place, but enforcement in the high school has been inconsistent and difficult, the district said.
Students will still be able to bring their phones to school, but they must be silenced and stored in a designated classroom storage locker during class.
The new policy makes a distinction between “academic settings” — which it defines as “an environment dedicated to education, learning and research” — and other areas. Use of cell phones and other devices will be prohibited in classrooms, the gymnasium, outdoor learning spaces, the library, as well as lab and shop areas.
Students will still be allowed to use their phones in the hallways, the cafeteria, on school buses and before/after school. However, the policy notes that students could have this privilege revoked if “deemed necessary by an administrator.”
Other area schools
Carlisle Area School District isn’t alone in its effort to reduce students’ screentime during the school day.
According to Derry Township’s policies, students in Hershey schools aren’t allowed to use their personal devices at all throughout the school day. They are required to either store them in their assigned locker or turn them off and place them in their backpack, depending on policies specific to the elementary, middle and high schools.
Carlisle’s presentation also highlighted Emmaus High School in their presentation. The Allentown school requires students to place their phones in a pouch and place the pouch in a “caddy” in the classroom.
State-wide ban?
Pennsylvania has not yet implemented a cell phone ban, but several groups and lawmakers are pushing for legislation to keep students’ eyes off their phones.
Florida legislators made headlines in 2024 after passing a bill that heavily restricted cell phone use in public schools and banned students from using the school’s Wi-Fi for accessing social media.
Last year, language proposed by Pa. State Sen. Ryan Aument was added to the state’s budget package that allowed districts to purchase lockable cellphone storage bags with state grant money. Over a dozen school districts have taken advantage of the change and implemented policies that require students to keep their phones in bags or other storage areas during class.
But some concerned activists and lawmakers want to take things a bit further. State Rep. Barbara Gleim introduced a bill in April that would require school districts to adopt policies that restrict or eliminate usage during instructional time.
In a memo supporting the legislation, Gleim writes that research has linked “excessive screen time with developmental issues, lack of sleep, increased anxiety and depression and diminished social skills – all issues schools should be working to prevent or mitigate.”
The bill spells out certain exemptions to any ban, including for students who are members of volunteer emergency services. Other exceptions include those for students with medical conditions, disabilities, who need translation services or who are allowed use for education purposes.
Gleim’s bill was referred to the House Education Committee in April but has not been voted on as of July 11. Fourteen other Republican state representatives have cosponsored the bill.
