A new cellphone use policy for students will be implemented in Northampton Area School District. NASD Superintendent of Schools Joseph S. Kovalchik made the announcement at the Nov. 9 board of education meeting.

“The state of Pennsylvania passed a cellphone ban for K through 12, which goes into effect for the 2027-28 school year,” Kovalchik said. “Our goal is to clear this up in March.”

According to Kovalchik, the rules and enforcement of student cellphone use will be first addressed by the school board policy committee at its January meeting. The committee’s recommended policy would be put on the agenda of a school board meeting for an up-or-down vote.

“Classroom use will not be an issue. Students are not going to have cellphone use in cafeteria or study hall,” Kovalchik said.

The revised policy is in the offing for NASD because school districts must comply with Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro’s statewide “bell-to-bell” cellphone ban for schools.

Kovalchik told the school board and public at the Nov. 9 meeting that cellphone policies are mostly in place in NASD classrooms.

“We allow cellphones in the cafeteria and study hall,” Kovalchik said.

A new policy would need to be implemented for study halls at Northampton Area High School.

“Study halls and cafeterias and hallways will be an issue,” Kovalchik said.

Kovalchik said that “if there’s a situation that happens in school,” the administration has a districtwide text system in place to alert parents and guardians.

“I will send out a message if there is a situation that occurs,” he added.

Kovalchik said that, nationwide, the impulse is for parents to call the cellphone of their student child in instances of a situation at a school.

Since the student cellphone ban goes into effect in fall 2027, Kovalchik said, “We’re a long way away from it,” adding, “We’re going to come up with some sort of plan.

“There is time to work on this. There is going to be discussion at the policy committee meetings. We’re going to come back to this at a future school board meeting,” Kovalchik replied.

Several members of the audience who spoke at the one-and-one-half hour Nov. 9 school board meeting backed banning cellphone use by students during classroom hours.

“Take the cellphones away. Instead of doing AI or calculations on their phone, let the students do the mental math,” said Dr. Katherine Mack, retired principal of Moore Elementary School.

After the meeting, a reporter for Northampton Press asked Kovalchik if the student cellphone use ban would include smartwatches. Kovalchik said that wearable technology devices could be considered in the district’s student cellphone use policy.

Shapiro signed Senate Bill 1014, which orders a statewide “bell-to-bell” cellphone ban for schools, into law Oct. 26 at Lenape Middle School, Doylestown, Bucks County.

On Oct. 21, the Senate approved Senate Bill 1014 to amend the Public School Code of 1949 by a vote of 47 to 3. Among the bill’s co-sponsors are Sen. David Argall, R-29th, and Sen. Lisa Boscola, D-18th.

The Pennsylvania House of Representatives, by a vote of 141-62 Oct. 19, approved House Bill 1814 (a previous version passed June 1) to implement a “bell-to-bell” mobile device policy in schools.

According to the Senate bill:

• Districts must adopt and implement their policies ahead of the 2027-28 school year.

• The ban applies to public, charter, cyber charter and private schools in Pennsylvania.

• Mobile devices and personal cellphones are prohibited throughout the school day, from the first bell to dismissal, including during classes, lunch, recess and between classes.

• School districts must develop and submit policies to the Pennsylvania Department of Education.

• Allowances are made for documented medical needs, Individualized Education Program (IEP)/504 accommodations, English language learning translation and teacher-approved instruction.

A memo by sponsors of the Senate bill posted on the Pennsylvania State Senate website states:

“Each year, more and more studies are showing the negative impact of smartphones on the development of our children.

“Historical data shows a steep decline in mental health in children between 2010-19 where rates of depression and anxiety rose 50%, the suicide rate for adolescents ages 10-19 rose 48%, while the suicide rate for girls ages 10-14 rose an astonishing 131%.

“A new study published in the Journal of Human Development and Capabilities found that children who receive smartphones before the age of 13 were significantly more likely to experience serious mental health problems in early adulthood including aggression, emotional instability and suicidal thoughts.

“The average age for a child to have a smartphone in Pennsylvania is reportedly 10.5, a number that seems to get younger every year.

“Children and teens are using their smartphones excessively. Between 2010-15, U.S. teens with smartphones rose from 23% to 73%, with a quarter admitting to being online ‘almost constantly.’ Teens spend an average of nearly eight hours a day on their phones, equivalent to a full-time job, and receive an average of 237 notifications on their phone a day.

“The impact of these addictive devices in schools cannot be ignored. Academic achievement declined over this same period as the use of smartphones rose.

“In 2012, math and reading scores dropped for the first time in 25 years, beginning a downward trend that continues today.

“Phones are not only a distraction for the owner of the phone, but the entire class is disrupted by the constant ringing, buzzing and checking of these devices. This not only results in learning loss for students, but it creates a frustrating environment for educators who try to maintain focus and order in the classroom.

“A PEW Research Center study found that 72% of U.S. high school teachers say cellphone distraction is a major problem in the classroom. A 2024 poll from the National Education Association showed 90% of teachers support prohibiting the use of phones during instructional time and 75% support a bell-to-bell ban, which prohibits the use of cellphones from the first bell of the school day until the last bell of the school day.

“While the broader discussion of whether age limits should be applied to smartphones and social media, we can make an immediate impact to improve the health and academic performance of our children through distraction-free learning while at school.”

Nearly 40 states restrict cellphone use in schools and 29 states enforce a bell-to-bell ban, also known as an “away for a day” policy, according to the Education Week website.

Also at the Nov. 9 meeting, school directors voted 8-0 with one school director absent, to approve:

• Agreement of sale of the former NASD Administration Building, 2014 Laubach Ave., Northampton, with Indigo Investments, II, LLC, for $1,000,000.

School directors voted 8-0 to table:

• Deletion of district policy 125 regarding community education, based on elimination of NASD’s community education program

• Termination of the district’s community education program upon conclusion of the fall community education session

The facilities committee meets 6 p.m. Nov. 16 in the NASD Education Center boardroom, 7200 New Seemsville Road, East Allen Township.

The NASD Board of Education next meets 6:30 p.m. Dec. 7 in the education center boardroom. The meeting will include the school board’s reorganization meeting when board officers are to be elected for 2027.