Athens Area School District Cell Phone Policy (2026)

Athens Area School District in Bradford County enrolled 2,023 students in 2024-25 according to federal data. Its high school adopted a three-strike phone rule in 2024.

Athens Area phone rules today

MyHometownToday reported on July 17, 2024 that Athens High School students may still carry phones and earbuds, but they must be off and put away unless a teacher directs their use. School officials noted that every student has a laptop with internet access, so phone use for any other purpose is restricted.

Three strikes

A first offense means the phone is confiscated and handed to a parent at the end of the day. A second means confiscation and no phone or earbuds at school for 45 days. A third means no phone or earbuds at school for the rest of the year.

What Act 117 requires of Athens Area 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	Athens Area today	What changes by 2027-28
No student use for the whole school day, including homeroom, lunch, recess and passing time	Off and away; carried	Aligned on use if it covers lunch and passing time; confirm.
The board decides how possession is restricted (taking phones is not required)	Carried, off	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	Write in all four required exceptions.
Optional: a principal may approve another exception for up to one school day, with notice to the superintendent within 5 days after	Teacher-directed use	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	High school rule (2024)	Board policy posted, announced each year and verified to PDE.

Where LockedIn fits

Athens Area's toughest penalty keeps phones home for months, which also cuts off a parent's way to reach a student after school. LockedIn locks students' own phones from an admin dashboard with nothing to collect, so phones come to school and stay locked, with no confiscation needed.

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 Athens

Act 117's definition of "school entity" includes private schools, approved private schools and nonpublic schools, so Athens'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.