Two school districts will be added to the growing list of schools across Pennsylvania adding cellphone bans to the books.

Earlier this week, Knoch High School principal Kurt Reiser sent a letter to families of Knoch students informing them the school would implement a cellphone ban for the upcoming school year. According to the letter, students are required to turn off and store away their cellphones or other personal electronic devices during the school day.

“Over the past several years, cellphones and personal electronic devices have increasingly become a distraction during the instructional day,” Reiser wrote in a letter dated Tuesday, July 7. “Parents and teachers overwhelmingly expressed support for clearer and more unified expectations regarding personal electronic devices during the school day.”

More details will be shared with Knoch families over the course of the summer, the letter reads.

The new policy brings the high school in line with all other schools in the Knoch School District, which have already implemented cellphone bans, according to newly-appointed district superintendent Melissa Grantz.

“We already had a bell-to-bell policy in the other buildings, so students are not permitted to use their cellphones campuswide now,” Grantz said.

The cellphone policy at Knoch Middle School allows the school to confiscate a student’s phone if they are caught using it during the academic day. The first offense leads to a student conference, the second offense triggers a parent notification, and a third offense results in a one-hour detention.

The idea of extending the cellphone ban to the high school was first floated at an education committee meeting May 13. According to the minutes from that meeting, the school district referenced similar policies recently implemented by other school districts in Butler County, including Seneca Valley and Slippery Rock Area.

Knoch also sent out a five-question survey to district parents asking for their input on the idea of a cellphone ban at the high school, receiving 258 responses. On the question of “I believe a schoolwide cellphone ban would improve students’ focus and learning,” more than half responded with either “Agree” or “Strongly agree.”

However, the survey also notes that some parents raised concerns, particularly regarding the need for students to have their cellphones available in an emergency, or in some cases, for medical reasons.

“I think everyone agrees that students need to be focused on learning while they're here,” Grantz said. “A lot of people have seen the social implications and mental health concerns that have been higher and more concerning recently, so I think most of the people will understand why we’re taking this stance.”

Karns City Area School District is also implementing a cellphone ban at its schools — the high school and the elementary school — starting with the upcoming school year.

The new policy was enacted following a school board meeting in April.

“The expectation is that anybody who brings a cellphone would turn it off and secure it in their locker or bookbag during the school day,” said Karns City superintendent Eric Ritzert. “If we get reports of somebody breaking that policy, we'll address it. We don’t want to be heavy-handed, but we expect students to follow the expectations.”

Ritzert says information was shared with district parents this May, shortly after the policy was approved.

“I think in the fall, when the students return, that will be the real test,” Ritzert said.