Stroudsburg High School (SHS) has always been known as a place where students finally receive their well-fantasized freedom. Students at the lower levels of the Middle school — and especially the Junior High — idolize the rules of the High School; specifically, one in particular: the use of cell phones.
What was once allowed at the Junior High as well was only exclusively allowed at the High School for the past few years, but recently, an impending change has been in the planning phase.
“Without phones, we will be more social in person. Instead of sitting on our phones, it will force us to talk to each other.
— Piper Coffman, '28
.sno-pullquote-69d6bf658483a { display: flex; float: right; margin: 30px 0 30px 30px; width: 50%; border-color: #870000; border-top-width: 5px; border-right-width: 5px; border-bottom-width: 5px; border-left-width: 5px; } .sno-pullquote-69d6bf658483a p.pullquotetext, .sno-pullquote-69d6bf658483a p.quotespeaker { } .sno-pullquote-69d6bf658483a .pullquotepic { width: 33%; margin-left: 25px; } .sno-story-body .sno-pullquote-69d6bf658483a p.pullquotetext { font-size: 22px; line-height: 1.4em; } .sno-pullquote-69d6bf658483a .quotebar { background: #dddddd; flex: 0 0 90px; margin-top: -15px; margin-left: -15px; padding-left: 15px; padding-top: 15px; margin-right: 15px; } .sno-pullquote-69d6bf658483a .largequote { color: #888888; } .sno-pullquote-69d6bf658483a .quotebody { width: unset; }On Jan. 29, 2026, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro announced that a bill had been created that would create a statewide ban on cellphones.
Five days later, the Pennsylvania Senate released Bill 1014, a detailed explanation of the ban, described as “bell-to-bell” on phones. “Bell-to-bell” means that students won’t be able to use their phones from the first bell of the day to the last.
According to Govtech.com, the bill passed with an overwhelming 46-1 vote, which shows how popular this change is.
Both sides, Democrats and Republicans, come together to strongly agree on this major societal concern that a phone ban is the best way to proceed with this new generation of adolescents who cannot stop using electronics.
28 US States have incorporated some type of ban, and 19 of them are bell-to-bell. Photo taken from Psea.org.
In fact, looking at recent graphs and analytics from Psea.org (Pennsylvania State Education Association), Pennsylvania is behind the times with a cell phone ban.
28 of the 50 US states have already implemented some type of cell phone ban, and 19 of them are “bell-to-bell.”
On March 3, 2026, teachers and staff at the SHS held a meeting about the use of cell phones and how phone collection was to be enforced harshly. If the rules were followed correctly, students would be allowed to use their phones only during lunch.
Jeffery Sodl, the principal of SHS, participated in an interview with the Mountaineer to shed some light on the events.
He commented, “There is no real plan in place; there is just discussion right now, and how that may be implemented, if we do do that.”
Mr. Sodl reluctantly admitted that SHS administration may have no choice if the decision comes down from the state. He’s considering “just continuing [the phone ban] from the junior high and bringing it to the high school.”
““Personally, I’m against it because phones are a key part of communication, and the end goal of the phone ban can be reached by more strictly enforcing phone caddy usage.
— Allison Fazio, '27
.sno-pullquote-69d6bf6584f4e { display: flex; float: right; margin: 30px 0 30px 30px; width: 50%; border-color: #870000; border-top-width: 5px; border-right-width: 5px; border-bottom-width: 5px; border-left-width: 5px; } .sno-pullquote-69d6bf6584f4e p.pullquotetext, .sno-pullquote-69d6bf6584f4e p.quotespeaker { } .sno-pullquote-69d6bf6584f4e .pullquotepic { width: 33%; margin-left: 25px; } .sno-story-body .sno-pullquote-69d6bf6584f4e p.pullquotetext { font-size: 22px; line-height: 1.4em; } .sno-pullquote-69d6bf6584f4e .quotebar { background: #dddddd; flex: 0 0 90px; margin-top: -15px; margin-left: -15px; padding-left: 15px; padding-top: 15px; margin-right: 15px; } .sno-pullquote-69d6bf6584f4e .largequote { color: #888888; } .sno-pullquote-69d6bf6584f4e .quotebody { width: unset; }Albeit, with far stricter consequences. In states that have already implemented cellphone bans, it is possible for students to have phones confiscated, receive fines, or even face expulsion. Your phone being visible is no longer just a school policy infraction but breaking a law set in place by the state.
Although he states that he does not yet know the details of the ban, he feels that not having cell phones is “effective.” One of his main concerns that this ban can eliminate is AirPods.
By now, the whole school staff, teachers, and students, are aware of Mr. Sodl’s dislike toward AirPods; however, his explanation on the matter is completely understandable: “I get increasingly frustrated with the simple request of not having AirPods in the halls. Students may think it’s not a big deal, but it’s a safety issue. Numerous times, we’ve tried to get the attention of students who ignore us because they can’t hear us. God forbid something happened, in a real emergency, and they don’t pay attention to us; that’s a problem.”
He added, “We give the liberty of cell phones in the halls, which is causing a problem because if you don’t have your cell phone, then you don’t need the AirPods.”
As well as the safety issues phones present in the halls, Mr. Sodl stated he was aware of the parents’ safety concerns about emergencies. His only comment on the matter was that he “feel(s) like we had a pretty safe school with the number of security guards we have – we have a lot of protocols in place.”
“As long as students aren’t using their phones when they’re not supposed to, there’s no reason for students to not have their phones.
— Aliyah Cleare, '28
.sno-pullquote-69d6bf65855a3 { display: flex; float: left; margin: 30px 30px 30px 0; width: 50%; border-color: #870000; border-top-width: 5px; border-right-width: 5px; border-bottom-width: 5px; border-left-width: 5px; } .sno-pullquote-69d6bf65855a3 p.pullquotetext, .sno-pullquote-69d6bf65855a3 p.quotespeaker { } .sno-pullquote-69d6bf65855a3 .pullquotepic { width: 33%; margin-left: 25px; } .sno-story-body .sno-pullquote-69d6bf65855a3 p.pullquotetext { font-size: 22px; line-height: 1.4em; } .sno-pullquote-69d6bf65855a3 .quotebar { background: #dddddd; flex: 0 0 90px; margin-top: -15px; margin-left: -15px; padding-left: 15px; padding-top: 15px; margin-right: 15px; } .sno-pullquote-69d6bf65855a3 .largequote { color: #888888; } .sno-pullquote-69d6bf65855a3 .quotebody { width: unset; }Cell phones are also a major distraction in classrooms.
According to PSEA, if a phone were to interfere with a lesson, it would take 8-23 minutes to refocus the entire class back onto the lesson.
Given that classes last 42 minutes, if even one notification went off, half of the class time might be lost. Taking into consideration that teens receive roughly 237 notifications per day, one notification per student per class is the very minimum.
While Bill 1014 calls for a bell-to-bell ban, it also states that districts have control over how they implement it specifically for their schools, such as where the phones will be stored during the day.
Mr. Sodl told the Mountaineer he, “anticipate(s) maybe doing an AM homeroom and a PM homeroom where students would go back and get their cell phones at the end of the day. We can do announcements and reminders at the end of the day.”
When Yondr, the lockable pouches, were brought up, Mr. Sodl claimed that they are expensive. He thinks “with the budget that we have right now, I don’t think that would be something we would look into at this time, but I guess we can’t rule it out.”
Yondr pouches have a price range of around $20-$30, so given that the average cost is around $25, and the high school has approximately 1,400 students, the total cost would be $35,000. Also, the school would most likely buy two for each student for back-ups, so the cost would double to $70,000.
“I don’t like it because it takes away my sense of security at school.
— Grace Carr, '27
.sno-pullquote-69d6bf6585bfc { display: flex; float: right; margin: 30px 0 30px 30px; width: 50%; border-color: #870000; border-top-width: 5px; border-right-width: 5px; border-bottom-width: 5px; border-left-width: 5px; } .sno-pullquote-69d6bf6585bfc p.pullquotetext, .sno-pullquote-69d6bf6585bfc p.quotespeaker { } .sno-pullquote-69d6bf6585bfc .pullquotepic { width: 33%; margin-left: 25px; } .sno-story-body .sno-pullquote-69d6bf6585bfc p.pullquotetext { font-size: 22px; line-height: 1.4em; } .sno-pullquote-69d6bf6585bfc .quotebar { background: #dddddd; flex: 0 0 90px; margin-top: -15px; margin-left: -15px; padding-left: 15px; padding-top: 15px; margin-right: 15px; } .sno-pullquote-69d6bf6585bfc .largequote { color: #888888; } .sno-pullquote-69d6bf6585bfc .quotebody { width: unset; }Other schools in the area already have limitations on phones, as Mr. Sodl discussed, “I really wish students would realize the opportunities they have here and the grace that we give them. I wish they could see what other schools don’t have and maybe they would appreciate the opportunities that are given.”
He made sure to reiterate, “I’m not trying to be a jerk about it either. I feel like [administration] been very patient.”
When students choose not to listen, they are acting “belligerent” and it’s “a slap in the face.” Despite how the student body acts, he stated that this was a change that he did not want to make. Dr. Cosmos Curry, Stroudsburg’s Superintendent, has stressed that he likes what the High School does currently, with putting the phones in the caddy each period.
In accordance with the current plan for this ban, it will take effect in 2028-2029, affecting the current sophomores and the grades younger than them.
Piper Coffman, ’28, who is a sophomore this year, thinks “we rely on our phones too much, and it’ll be good for [students] to separate from it.”
Regardless of exactly how and when it is going to happen, it is certain that a change is imminent.