Allegheny Valley School District Cell Phone Policy (2026)

Allegheny Valley School District in Allegheny County enrolled 903 students in 2024-25 according to federal data. Its board has debated phones since 2024.

Allegheny Valley phone rules today

WPXI reported on July 28, 2024 that phone access was at each teacher's discretion and that a board member was pushing for a change. The board pointed to districts that store phones in class and to state grant money for storage bags; the argument for change was that students have Chromebooks for schoolwork and intercoms for emergencies. Later TribLive headlines report the board "divided" and then voting to "leave cellphone policy as is." Those stories were not read.

What Act 117 requires of Allegheny Valley by 2027-28

Gov. Josh Shapiro approved SB 1014 on October 26, 2026. It is Act 117 of 2026, and it took effect that day. The text is Printer's No. 1697 on palegis.us. Every school entity must adopt a bell-to-bell policy by the start of the 2027-28 school year.

Act 117 requires	Allegheny Valley today	What changes by 2027-28
No student use for the whole school day, including homeroom, lunch, recess and passing time	Class use limited; lunch and hallways allowed	Extend to the whole day, including lunch and passing time.
The board decides how possession is restricted (taking phones is not required)	Not stated	State the possession method.
Required exceptions: documented medical need of the student or an immediate family member, IEP or 504, English learner translation, limited teacher-approved instructional use	Not stated	Add medical, IEP/504 and English learner translation.
Optional: a principal may approve another exception for up to one school day, with notice to the superintendent within 5 days after	Teacher discretion (2024)	Teacher use must meet Act 117's three conditions; other exceptions capped at one day.
Written notice each year and on enrollment: a staffed way to reach your child, and how to sign up for emergency notifications	Not stated	Written notice each year and on enrollment of a staffed contact method and emergency sign-up.
Tell families, teachers and students about the policy each year; verify to PDE within 5 business days that it is posted online	Existing policy kept	Board policy posted, announced each year and verified to PDE.

Where LockedIn fits

Allegheny Valley's board split on how far to go. LockedIn locks students' own phones from an admin dashboard with nothing to collect, so Act 117's rule can be met without the storage bags the board discussed.

Act 117 has no general student emergency-use exception. The closest tool is the optional principal exception, which is capped at one school day and reported to the superintendent within five days afterward. LockedIn's Emergency Mode unlocks every phone on campus at once, so districts should have counsel review how that fits their emergency procedures and Act 117's exception rules.

Private and independent schools in Cheswick

Act 117's definition of "school entity" includes private schools, approved private schools and nonpublic schools, so Cheswick's private, independent and parochial schools need their own bell-to-bell policy by 2027-28. For those schools, the governing body plays the role the superintendent plays in a district, including receiving notice of any principal-approved exception.

Draft a policy that tracks Act 117's required exceptions and family notices with our policy generator.