State lawmakers across the country are considering bans on the use of cell phones by students during the school day.

Pennsylvania is one of those states, with a joint legislative committee hearing testimony on the issue recently that included several education officials pushing state lawmakers to implement a bell-to-bell ban on cell phones in schools.

Rep. Kathy Rapp, R-Warren, was part of that hearing, saying afterward she has concerns about the state implementing a bell-to-bell ban. Some of her concerns – who pays for the systems to secure student cell phones or who is responsible for lost or damaged cell phones – are relatively easy to address. Rapp’s major concern is whether the state should take action in what has traditionally been the domain of parents. Rapp said the best solution may be legislation requiring school districts to have a cell phone policy and then to let districts devise their own plan.

After watching the hearing and reading about school districts’ experience in New York state, which implemented a bell-to-bell ban in September, there are distinct benefits to limiting students’ cell phone use during the school day. The results in New York are much the same as schools in Pennsylvania that have begun limiting student cell phone use during the school day. Students seem happier. Incidents of bullying have decreased. Student interaction is increasing. In some cases students are taking additional elective courses because they can’t be on their cell phones during study halls. When parents need to reach their child they can call the office or message their child’s teacher directly. It’s an old-school method of communication, but one that works.

Not all students misuse cell phones during the school day. But aside from exceptions that include students with medical conditions; students with individualized education plans requiring the use of a personal communication device; English language learners who rely on translation apps; and limited teacher-approved instructional use with approval from the school principal, we aren’t sure why cell phones need to be a part of a student’s school day.

In our view lawmakers should move quickly on House Bill 1814 or Senate Bill 1014 – two bills that have slightly different ways of limiting student use of cell phones during the school day. With the benefit of hindsight it’s becoming clear the benefits of limiting cell phone use during the school day outweigh the inconveniences.