Abington School District will be restricting cell phone usage for the 2024-2025 year.

According to a letter to the school community shared on Wednesday by superintendent Dr. Jeffrey Fecher, elementary schools “will maintain a rule of no cellphones during the school day, and will address individual concerns as they arise in grades K-5.”

At the middle and high schools, the district will issue “cellphone holders”.

“This means that each time a student walks into a classroom, they will place their phone into a pocket on the holder, which they will be able to retrieve prior to leaving class,” Dr. Fecher wrote.

According to a Board Brief, Principals Mr. Daniel File and Dr. Alice Swift are developing plans “to limit cellphone usage in instructional spaces to help reduce distractions and improve student social and emotional wellbeing.”

More information will be communicated to Middle School and High School families before the first day of school, the Brief said.

The letter notes that a bill is currently making its way through the legislative process as Pennsylvania may join other states which have enacted bans or limitations of cellphone usage in schools. District officials will evaluate the effectiveness of this initiative and adjust as needed, the letter said. 

“We believe these changes will benefit our students socially and emotionally, in addition to eliminating distractions in class, as there has been a growing body of evidence about how student mental health has been negatively impacted by cellphones over time, including being the focus of the Abington School District Leadership Team’s summer reading book, “The Anxious Generation” by social psychologist Jonathan Haidt,” Fecher wrote.

The full letter is below:

Dear Abington School District Community,

At last night’s meeting of the Board of School Directors, I shared an update regarding student usage of cellphones in school for the 2024-2025 school year. As you may know, a number of states across the country, as well as individual school districts, have enacted bans or limitations on the use of cellphones in schools. While no such legislation has yet been signed into law in Pennsylvania, there are several pieces of proposed legislation that have been debated within the State House and Senate. 

With the potential for new legislation on the horizon, plus the concerns expressed to me by many parents and guardians regarding how much access students have to phones during the day, I have asked our principals to develop plans as to how we can help reduce these distractions in our schools.

At the elementary level, principals will maintain a rule of no cellphones during the school day, and will address individual concerns as they arise in grades K-5.

At the Middle School and High School, we will be purchasing cellphone holders for use in instructional spaces. This means that each time a student walks into a classroom, they will place their phone into a pocket on the holder, which they will be able to retrieve prior to leaving class. Mr. Daniel File and Dr. Alice Swift will communicate details for implementation to their families before the start of the school year, including exceptions that will be made for students who need their phones for health or accessibility reasons. 

We will continue to monitor the bill currently going through state legislation to see if we need to make any modifications to our plans, and as with all new procedures being implemented at school, we will evaluate the effectiveness of this initiative and adjust as needed. 

We believe these changes will benefit our students socially and emotionally, in addition to eliminating distractions in class, as there has been a growing body of evidence about how student mental health has been negatively impacted by cellphones over time, including being the focus of the Abington School District Leadership Team’s summer reading book, “The Anxious Generation” by social psychologist Jonathan Haidt. 

We appreciate the support and understanding of our parents and guardians as we implement these new procedures to benefit our entire school community, the most important of them being our students, teachers, and staff.

Regards,
Dr. Jeffrey Fecher
Superintendent of Schools

For all the latest news, follow us on Facebook or sign up for Glenside Local’s “Daily Buzz” newsletter here.