Students at Lower Merion and Harriton high schools could be required to lock away cellphones all day under a bill the Pennsylvania House passed Monday, Oct. 19.

Senate Bill 1014 cleared the House on a bipartisan 141-62 vote, according to Patch. The state Senate already approved the measure. It returns to that chamber for expected concurrence before heading to Gov. Josh Shapiro, who has urged legislators to send him a cellphone ban and is expected to sign it.

The bill would prohibit students in public schools from using or possessing a cellphone during the school day. Districts would have to create their own policies to secure phones during class time, recess and study halls. Exceptions would apply for documented medical conditions, individualized education programs (IEPs) or with permission from a school administrator.

State Rep. Mandy Steele, an Allegheny County Democrat who championed the measure, said the legislation could take effect for the 2027-28 school year. In a statement, Steele called smartphone access in schools a public health crisis and urged lawmakers to give children back their focus for six hours a day.

What it means for Lower Merion

The state mandate would apply to the Lower Merion School District (LMSD), which is already navigating its own technology fight. The school board voted 7-2 in August to approve a new student technology policy that scales back screen time and eliminates individual device assignments for younger students, Patch reported. Board members Sarah Thomas and Abby Rubin voted against the policy.

That vote followed months of heated community meetings. The board held its Aug. 17 session on Zoom after what the district described as social media threats against board members and Superintendent Frank Ranelli, along with repeated disruptions at prior in-person meetings.

The district's current policy requires personal devices to be "off and away" during the school day. The state bill goes further. It would require districts to physically secure phones so students cannot access them at all until dismissal.

Seven families filed a federal lawsuit against the district, Ranelli and the seven board members who voted for the policy, according to Main Line Media News. The 116-page complaint argues the district violates parental rights by requiring students to use school-issued, internet-connected devices without an opt-out option. That lawsuit focuses on school-issued laptops and iPads rather than personal cellphones, meaning the state ban and the federal case address different pieces of the technology puzzle. Parent advocacy group Pencils Over Pixels has pushed for reduced technology use in LMSD schools, Main Line Media News reported.

At an earlier community meeting, board member Anna Shurak acknowledged the possibility of state action. Shurak said that if Shapiro signed bell-to-bell legislation, the district would follow suit, according to The Merionite, Lower Merion High School's student newspaper.

The statewide group PA Unplugged also urged legislators to pass the bill, according to the Pennsylvania Capital-Star.

What happens next

The bill now sits with the Senate Rules and Executive Nominations Committee, according to state legislative records. Only four scheduled session days remained as of the Oct. 19 vote: two that week and two more in November after Election Day. If the Senate concurs and Shapiro signs, every public school district in Pennsylvania would need to draft a bell-to-bell phone policy.