Abington School District to ban cellphones in classroom this year

ABINGTON TWP., Pennsylvania (WPVI) -- The Abington School District in Montgomery County will be restricting cell phone usage for the 2024-2025 year.

Superintendent Dr. Jeffrey Fecher shared the update Wednesday in a letter to the school community.

"We believe these changes will benefit our students socially and emotionally, in addition to eliminating distractions in class," said Fecher.

At the middle school and high school level, the district is purchasing cell phone holders for students to use each time they walk into the classroom. Students will be able to retrieve the devices prior to leaving class, Fecher says.

At the elementary level, there won't be cellphone holders, but principals will maintain a rule of no devices during the day.

Abington school officials will communicate the implementation of the policy to parents, along with exceptions that will be made for students who need phones for health or accessibility reasons.

"We appreciate the support and understanding of our parents and guardians as we implement these new procedures to benefit our entire school community, the most important of them being our students, teachers, and staff," added Fecher.