BLOCKED: Hang ups with cellphone use in schools

“Bell to bell, no cell,” Robert Ceh, principal of Seneca Valley Senior High School, calls it, according to Tracy Vitale, district superintendent.

Starting this school year, Seneca Valley School District classrooms, which educate over 7,600 students, are phone-free zones from the first bell to the last.

“Our main ‘why,’ going back four years ago was we were concerned with the rise in mental health issues,” Vitale said.

The first drastic change was made during the 2023-24 school year, after surveying parents and staff, meeting with stakeholder groups and conducting research and data gathering.

“As a result of that, our school board tightened the policy on cellphone use in schools,” Vitale said.

The district began setting limits on phone u

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