Pittsburgh-area leaders and teachers discuss phones in schools at roundtable

August 26 — Kristine Sorensen, CBS News — As kids go back to school, districts across the Pittsburgh region are grappling with how to deal with kids having cell phones at school. Congressman Chris Deluzio, who represents part of Allegheny County, held a roundtable discussion on the issue of phones in schools.

Teachers, a student, a parent advocate and state Sen. Devlin Robinson all shared their perspectives on the challenge.

Deluzio says this is a bipartisan issue. Deluzio recently sent letters to all school districts in the area he represents to ask what their policies on cell phones are, and many updated those policies this summer, including Avonworth schools.

"We do have a new policy, Chris, for the year, which I hoped they shared with you, that in the middle school specifically, we should not see (personal cell phones) at all. They get one warning," and then the phone is taken to the office, Melissa Costantino-Poruben, a teacher at Avonworth Middle School, told the congressman. 

"The school districts are all over the place, and there's some flexibility that has to happen," Deluzio said. "But I'm not seeing a consistent approach district by district. And that to me shows the need for some leadership at the state level and federal level to do something."  

Dr. Kelly Marsh, the Legislative Lead for PA Unplugged, which represents parents across the state, says their research shows the best practice is a "bell-to-bell" policy where schools are phone-free from the beginning to the end of the school day.

"It's really about changing the culture in the school and what do we value. If we do value that during this time, they're there to both have academic and as well as a social and emotional connection, then best practices are how to achieve that," Marsh said.

Duquesne University senior Kim Francisco-Martinez shared her experience with cell phones when she was in high school and there were few rules limiting phone use.

"A lot of students would put their phone in front of their computer and pretend to be listening when in reality they were scrolling," she said.

State Sen. Devlin Robinson is introducing a bill in the Pennsylvania state Senate to make all schools phone-free from the beginning to the end of the school day.

Read the article on CBS News.