PA Seeks to Ban All Portable Electronic Devices From the Classroom

A Pennsyvania House bill has been introduced which seeks to ban all manner of portable electronics from classrooms. The bill, House Bill 363, states the following:

(a) The possession by students of telephone paging devices, commonly referred to as beepers, cellular telephones and portable electronic devices that record or play audio or video material shall be prohibited on school grounds, at school sponsored activities and on buses or other vehicles provided by the school district.

(b) The prohibition against beepers and cellular telephones contained in subsection (a) shall not apply in the following cases, provided that the school authorities approve of the presence of the beeper or cellular telephone in each case:

(1) A student who is a member of a volunteer fire company, ambulance or rescue squad.

(2) A student who has a need for a beeper or cellular telephone due to the medical condition of an immediate family member.

The bill would update an existing ban on pagers. Admittedly, there probably aren't too many students using pagers any longer, what with the advent of cell phones. Certainly the increased popularity of "sexting" can't help but fuel the fire underneath this bill.

At the same time, however, I remember there was a time when calculators were outlawed. So, while I agree there is a time and a place for gadgetry in schools, we don't want to turn our kids into technophobes or Luddites do we?

But honestly, most of these schools already ban these types of devices, so much of the furor over this is really undeserved ... except ... except for the fact that schools would not be able to set their own rules, and would be mandated to follow the law if the bill passes.

What do you readers think? If you are interested in stopping the bill, rather than just commenting here, there's already a petition you can sign.