Bradford Area School District Cell Phone Policy (2026)

Bradford Area School District in McKean County enrolled 2,240 students in 2024-25 according to federal data. It adopted a new phone policy for 2025-26.

Bradford Area phone rules today

On July 29, 2025 the district posted "Cell Phone Use Can Negatively Impact School Safety," saying, "Many of the questions from our community regarding the new cell phone policy focus on school safety." The post quotes National School Safety and Security Services on phones during emergencies, including rumors, parents rushing to the school and overloaded networks. The PA Unplugged tracker lists Bradford Area as using lockers since 2025-26, and the policy as summarized keeps phones off and out of sight in lockers or designated areas from arrival through dismissal.

What Act 117 requires of Bradford 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	Bradford Area today	What changes by 2027-28
No student use for the whole school day, including homeroom, lunch, recess and passing time	Lockers arrival to dismissal	Aligned with the whole-day rule if confirmed.
The board decides how possession is restricted (taking phones is not required)	Lockers or designated areas	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 confirmed	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 confirmed	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 confirmed	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	BASD Electronic Devices Policy (2025-26)	Board policy posted, announced each year and verified to PDE.

Where LockedIn fits

Bradford Area made the safety case for keeping phones away. LockedIn locks students' own phones from an admin dashboard with nothing to collect, so phones stay with students but locked, alongside the lockers.

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 Bradford

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