Shaler Area High School has seen many changes since the start of the 2025-26 school year, but one thing has stayed the same: the “Off, Off, and Away” cell phone policy. This policy states that all personal electronic devices must be off and put away during instructional time. If a staff member sees a non-school issued device, then they may confiscate it from the student.
This policy has worked very well for Shaler Area, with very few students trying to resist the rules.
“I think very few students are arguing about giving their phones. There are a handful of them that do, but it’s not common,” SAHS interim principal Mrs. JoAnne Townsend said. “I do feel that there are loopholes and you have to rely on teacher consistency. And the other thing is you have to rely on student honesty and integrity.”
While the policy seems to be working here, there is a trend in schools of more extreme measures like completely banning cell phones in school. Many schools nationwide have been considering ways to restrict cell phones.
A story written by Natasha Singer in the The New York Times called “Banning Social Media” stated, “40 percent of countries ban or restrict student cellphone use, as do more than 30 U.S states and the District of Columbia.”
One major concern about banning cell phones has to do with emergency situations. Most school districts that adopted a ban have made an effort to make sure that there is always a method of communication in the classrooms.
“New York City Public Schools, the nation’s largest school district, also has a bell-to-bell policy in place for its nearly one million students, but the schools will be required to provide at least one method for families to reach their children during the school day in the case of an emergency,” said Arthur Jones II and Aidan Gellert in an article published by ABC News.
As of December of 2025, the Public Board of Education voted that Pittsburgh Public schools will prohibit all cell phone use starting in the fall 2026 school year. This includes all buildings, busses, and events that take place during school hours.
It is not just Pittsburgh that has been attempting to create a change towards cell phone use, but it is Pennsylvania as a whole. The Pennsylvania Senate has been working on passing Bill 1014, which would amend the Public School Code of 1949. This would create a bell-to-bell phone free policy in all schools across the state.
Congressman Chris Deluzio (PA-17) has also expressed his concerns towards having cell phones in the classroom. Deluzio began his first term in office after being elected in 2022, and has always been an advocate for schools implementing restrictions on cell phones due to their addictive nature and their effect on students’ mental health.
“The research and the studies I see tell me pretty clearly that while you’re in class, it’s distracting for all of you. It’s distracting for the teachers,” he said “and I think you’re probably all pounded by a lot of stuff on your phones that is impossible to put down or feels impossible to put down. You’re not alone in that. That’s adults too. And I think you’re all growing up right now to be digital citizens of the world.”
The Shaler Area faculty agrees with Deluzio’s views, finding that cell phones are very addictive and will have long term effects on mental health.
“I don’t even think that your young minds know the type of anxiety that it can cause or the type of depression, even the impact of worrying about what you’re missing out on when it’s turned off. I’m anxious about what part of the conversation [I missed], what group chats went on for thirty minutes that I did not engage in,” said Interim Assistant Principal Ms. Venice Piveronas.
While some people may be in favor of a cell phone ban due to the effect on teens’ mental health, other research has found that bans may not be the solution.
Singer’s “Banning Social Media” story also states, “We have limited research on whether the bans work. After surveying more than 1,200 students in 30 schools across England, researchers at the University of Birmingham recently reported that cell phone bans did not improve students’ mental well-being.“
Another factor that proves to be negative, regarding cell phone restrictions, is for the students who use personal devices to focus during class. In an article published by Kingwood Park High School, a student explains how this downside affects him, along with many other students.
“The first assignment that I was given today, I noticed that I’m already getting distracted by the person whispering over there and the person typing over there,” junior Bishop Scott said. “It’s just like my ADHD is going all over the place and my headphones trap it.”
An article published by DATUM Storage Solutions affirms this idea by explaining how the use of headphones in the classroom setting may be helpful to many students, and is not distracting to others.
“A lot of students listen to music at home when they study to help themselves focus. This study strategy can be even more beneficial in a noisy classroom. It allows teachers to maintain a quiet working environment for those who need it.”
Although many students claim to focus better while having full access to their devices, Aliquippa Principal Rodney Heard disagrees. He has found that taking away devices allows students to stay more focused.
Aliquippa has recently begun using a new cell phone policy due to this finding. “At the start of the school day, students turn off their cell phones and place them into their assigned Yondr pouch. Once sealed, the pouch locks securely but remains in the student’s possession throughout the day. At dismissal, staff unlock the pouches, allowing students to retrieve their devices before leaving the building” said Mr. Heard.
An improvement that Mr. Heard has found is a decrease in behavior-related issues, as well as improved participation in and outside the classroom.
“Many students report that they enjoy being able to focus on learning without the constant distraction of their phones. Teachers have noticed improved participation and interaction, and there has been a visible increase in face-to-face communication and socialization among students,” Mr. Heard said. “Classroom engagement has noticeably increased, with students participating more actively in lessons and focusing better during instructional time.”
Many other schools have also found success with these new restrictive policies. In an interview between CBS and students at Jericho High School, the students expressed their feelings about the new policies implemented at their schools.
“At the end of a phone-free day, when asked if life is better with no phones this year compared to last year, the students said yes.”
Here at Shaler there seems to be some middle ground. Ms. Piveronas expressed that students need to learn how to properly use and manage their devices as they move into the future.
“You’re going to leave here and go to college or into the workforce or both at some point, and you are going to have your phone, and it’s up to you whether or not you’re going to sit and use it during times when you should not. It’s good to have it with you as well as a resource if needed, because it’s amazing what you can find there in a positive way, not in a negative way,” she said.
Congressman Deluzio also agrees with this, realizing that students need to begin to learn how to responsibly deal with access to devices.
“Some of you are probably 18 already, right? You’re adults. You’re still in school, but you can vote, participate in democracy. You can be drafted into war. So you have real responsibilities as citizens as well,” he said. “I think there’s a responsibility in these classrooms too, that you’re learning some healthy ways to deal with a device that can be really hard to put down, but also you may need to deal with for a job or education going forward if you go into college or something.”
There is no perfect way to deal with cell phones in the classroom. Some students may do better in school with access to devices, while other students may do much better without them. There seems to be a struggle finding out what works for students and districts as a whole. For schools like Aliquippa, locking up students’ cell phones just might be the right way, but, the “Off Off and Away” policy at Shaler Area seems to be what works.
