Central Bucks families will need to prepare for phone-free school days after the Pennsylvania Senate voted 47-3 on Wednesday, Oct. 21, to send a statewide student cell phone ban to Gov. Josh Shapiro.
Shapiro has said he will sign Senate Bill 1014 into law, WBNG reported. The bill requires every public and private school in the state to adopt a "bell-to-bell" prohibition policy by the start of the 2027-28 school year. Each district decides how to enforce it.
The House passed the bill 141-62 earlier in the week, the Northeast Times reported. The Senate first approved an earlier version 46-1 in February before voting on the House's changes.
Sen. Devlin Robinson, an Allegheny County Republican who sponsored the bill alongside Sens. Vincent Hughes and Steve Santarsiero, said on the Senate floor that phones "have not in any way helped improve student learning or social growth," according to The Center Square.
Santarsiero, whose 10th District includes parts of Bucks County, called the vote "a victory for our students" in a press release.
The bill carves out exceptions for students with medical conditions, those with individualized education programs (IEPs) that require a personal device, English learners who use phones for translation and single-day events like field days or science fairs. Teachers can also allow limited instructional use with a principal's approval.
Those IEP exceptions drew opposition in the House. More than 60 representatives voted no, with some arguing the carve-out would create enforcement problems, The Center Square reported. Students with IEPs have in some years made up nearly 19% of the student population statewide.
What it means for Central Bucks
Central Bucks School District will need to craft a specific prohibition policy before the 2027-28 school year. The district launched a Digital Wellness Initiative for 2026-27 aimed at developing "balanced guidance that supports responsible screen time, digital citizenship, and online safety," according to the district's website. Whether that initiative already meets the new law's requirements is unclear.
The district has not publicly commented on how it plans to comply with SB 1014.
Bucks County's three commissioners unanimously approved a resolution on May 21 offering a $2,000 incentive to each of the county's 13 school districts and three technical high schools that adopt bell-to-bell policies. Commissioner Diane Ellis-Marseglia said the money could help with implementation or parent education.
Once signed, Pennsylvania would become the 25th state with a full-day phone-free schools law, according to WBNG.
