With the proposed statewide student cellphone ban, Milton administration is setting a goal of overall improvement from students.
According to Milton High School Principal Mr. Michael Bergey, with the Proposed statewide phone ban, he has two goals, but one specific goal: academic improvement.
“Hopefully, we would see academic improvement, and that could be just from getting work done, work completion, to the performance on exams and the performance on state assessments,” Mr. Bergey said.
His second goal is to see fewer discipline referrals with this ban, as well as students interacting more, either at lunch or bell-to-bell periods. “Just overall learning how to connect, communicate better and more effectively,” said Mr. Bergey.
Mr. Bergey explained that if the ban gets passed, and students can’t have phones out at any time, teachers will not need to give any warnings. Students will either have to take their phone to the office and put it in a phone locker at the school.
If students can’t have phones out at all then, “it may not be a ‘pick up your phone at the end of the day.’ It may be that your parents are going to have to come pick up your device,” he said.
As is currently the practice, Mr. Bergey said that the school will not be responsible for loss, damage, or theft of phones at school. “If you choose to bring your personal property into the building, assume all risks and liabilities,” he said. “If you don’t want your phone to get damaged or broken, then don’t bring it.”
If students refuse to turn over their phones, Mr. Bergey said he would consider that insubordination. “There are consequences that come with not turning over your phone; that’s a real easy way to get yourself suspended,” he said.
Mr. Bergey said many parents and students worry about reaching one another if there is an emergency at the school, but the reality is they most likely will not be able to reach their parents until after a threat at the school is cleared.
“Within a very short period, no one will be able to make phone calls because the networks will be flooded. So, your phone will more than likely not even work,” he added.
The Pa. Senate Website has more information about this proposed bill. “This bill gives students the freedom to focus, connect with peers, and protect their mental health from the pressures of social media,” according to www.pasenategop.com.
Pa. Senate Bill 1014 proposes that students are not allowed to have phones out at all during the school day; that includes bell-to-bell periods and even times like lunch and breakfast. The Bill would also allow flexibility in a way that’s best for the communities, including deciding where phones would be held or stored during the day.
Other exceptions to this policy allow students with certain medical conditions, those with certain education plans that require the use of a personal communication device, and students who need a device for translation, and for special days like field day or science fairs.
The Pa. Senate Republican site also has some data about a mass decline in youth mental health and academic performance: “Since the early 2010s, teen depression has surged by approximately 150 percent, while suicide rates among children ages 10–14 have tripled between 2007 and 2021, with the steepest increases among girls.”
