A05264
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
SENATE BILL
No.
1207
Session of
2024
INTRODUCED BY AUMENT, ARGALL, MASTRIANO, SCHWANK, BREWSTER,
VOGEL AND SANTARSIERO, JUNE 21, 2024
SENATOR ARGALL, EDUCATION, AS AMENDED, JUNE 25, 2024
AN ACT
Amending the act of March 10, 1949 (P.L.30, No.14), entitled "An
act relating to the public school system, including certain
provisions applicable as well to private and parochial
schools; amending, revising, consolidating and changing the
laws relating thereto," in school safety and security,
establishing the Cell Phone Lockable Bag Pilot Program.
The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
hereby enacts as follows:
Section 1. The act of March 10, 1949 (P.L.30, No.14), known
as the Public School Code of 1949, is amended by adding a
section to read:
Section 1322-B. Cell Phone Lockable Bag Pilot Program.
(a) Establishment.--The Cell Phone Lockable Bag Pilot
Program is established in the commission COMMITTEE . The purpose
of the program shall be to provide funding to cover the costs of
purchasing secure cell phone lockable bags. The commission
COMMITTEE shall, within 90 days of the effective date of this
section and subject to availability of funds, award grants to
successful applicants and ensure that grant funding under the
program is geographically dispersed throughout this
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Commonwealth. The number of applicants chosen shall be
contingent upon the amount of funding allocated.
(b) Duties.--A school entity that participates in the
program must:
(1) Create a school entity policy that prohibits the use
of cell phones during school time and employs the use of
requ ires students to use cell phone lockable bags . , provided
that nothing in the policy shall prohibit a school employee
from using a cell phone during school time to perform the
employe e 's work. The policy shall provide for exemptions for
students who have a documented medical condition that
necessitates the use of the phone, such as diabetes. The
school entity's adopted policy shall be posted on the school
entity's publicly accessible Internet website.
(2) Track changes over the course of two school years in
student mental health, incidents of bullying, incidents of
violence and academic performance and submit that information
to the commission COMMITTEE . The commission COMMITTEE shall
develop a uniform report method for the school entity to use
to track each of the metrics.
(c) Report.--The commission COMMITTEE shall submit to the
Governor and the General Assembly a report on the program
utilizing the data submitted to the commission COMMITTEE and
shall include this report in the school safety annual report
required under section 1302.1-B(7) . The report may not contain
any identifiable information regarding a student. Any
information submitted by school entities as part of the program,
the disclosure of which would be reasonably likely to result in
a substantial and demonstrable risk of physical harm or the
personal security of students or staff shall remain confidential
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and shall not be subject to the act of February 14, 2008 (P.L.6,
No.3), known as the Right-to-Know Law. The commission COMMITTEE
may release aggregate data at its discretion.
(d) Expiration.--This section shall expire December 1, 2026.
(e) Definitions.--As used in this section, the following
words and phrases shall have the meanings given to them in this
subsection unless the context clearly indicates otherwise:
"Cell phone lockable bag." A reusable, secure case, pouch,
or bag that has a locking mechanism and can be used to store
cell phones and other smart devices.
"Program." The Cell Phone Lockable Bag Pilot Program.
"School entity." Notwithstanding section 1301-B, a school
district, intermediate unit, area career and technical school,
charter school, regional charter school, approved private
school, nonpublic school, chartered school for the education of
the deaf or the blind or private residential rehabilitative
institution.
Section 2. This act shall take effect in 60 days.
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