Josh Shapiro on Thursday called for a statewide ban on student phone use during school hours, putting his weight behind an effort that has already seen some movement in the state legislature. A growing number of states have a uniform policy for phones in K-12 public schools ­— but Pennsylvania does not, leaving the issue to be regulated by each district. This past October, however, the state Senate held a hearing on the idea of a statewide ‘bell-to-bell’ phone ban, meaning students would not be permitted to access their phones from the morning opening bell until the afternoon dismissal, with limited emergency exceptions. Notably, that hearing included the Pennsylvania State Education Association (PSEA) — the state’s influential teachers’ union — coming out in support of a bell-to-bell ban. Union teachers had previously opposed a top-down mandate from the state on how they should handle the issue.