Belle Vernon Area School District Cell Phone Policy (2026)

Belle Vernon Area School District enrolled 2,426 students in 2024-25 according to federal data. Its board passed a K-12 phone policy unanimously in July 2025.

Belle Vernon Area phone rules today

The Mon Valley Independent reported on July 21, 2025 that the board unanimously approved a new K-12 phone policy with a three-offense rule. Phones, watches and earbuds must be off and out of sight on campus, and visible devices are confiscated. Grades K-8 follow "away for the day" guidelines. High schoolers may use phones before the homeroom bell and during their scheduled lunch; the rest of the day, devices stay powered off in a bag.

Three offenses

First: an administrator takes the phone and returns it at the end of the day. Second: a parent call and verbal warning. Third: confiscation, a consequence and return to a parent at an agreed time. After multiple offenses, a student may have to turn the device in to the office each morning.

What Act 117 requires of Belle Vernon 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	Belle Vernon Area today	What changes by 2027-28
No student use for the whole school day, including homeroom, lunch, recess and passing time	K-8 away for the day; HS before homeroom and at lunch	End high school lunch use.
The board decides how possession is restricted (taking phones is not required)	Off in a bag	Aligned: Act 117 lets boards decide possession.
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	Not stated	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	Board policy (July 2025)	Board policy posted, announced each year and verified to PDE.

Where LockedIn fits

Belle Vernon Area already runs K-8 away for the day. LockedIn locks students' own phones from an admin dashboard with nothing to collect, so the high school's lunch window closes with a schedule change and repeat offenders don't need office check-ins.

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 Belle Vernon

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