Bristol Township School District Cell Phone Policy (2026-27)

The School District of Bristol Township enrolled 5,985 students in 2024-25 according to federal data. For 2026-27, Harry S Truman High School moved from all-day use to phones off and stored during class, and told families to expect a fuller ban in 2027-28.

Bristol Township phone rules today

The Lower Bucks Times reported on August 20, 2026, from a letter to families from Michael Nitti:

• Truman High School: phones are off and stored out of sight during class. Students may use them before the 7:13 a.m. start, after the 2:13 p.m. dismissal bell, in the hallway between classes and during their assigned lunch in the cafeteria or library. The year before, the handbook allowed responsible use through the day, including in class with permission.
• Consequences: for a first violation, the office holds the phone until dismissal and calls home. For a second, only a parent may collect it, after a conference. From the third on, the phone is held until a conference, with options including detention, a phone lockbox, suspension and fines.
• Middle school: phones are off and away before students enter, then kept in a locker. No use before first period.
• Elementary: phones are off on arrival and out of sight until the end of the day.
• Covered devices include smartwatches, tablets, AI glasses, earbuds and headphones.
• Family contact: students can use the main office phone, and the Truman front office is 215-547-3000. The sheet says the school can reach any student at any time.

What Act 117 requires of Bristol Township 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	Bristol Township today	What changes by 2027-28
No student use for the whole school day, including homeroom, lunch, recess and passing time	Middle and elementary all day; Truman allows passing time and lunch	End passing-time and lunch use at Truman. The district already expects this.
The board decides how possession is restricted (taking phones is not required)	Off and stored out of sight; lockbox after repeat violations	Choose a whole-day method at Truman.
Required exceptions: documented medical need of the student or an immediate family member, IEP or 504, English learner translation, limited teacher-approved instructional use	IEP, 504 and medical exceptions reported	Add English learner translation, family medical and the instructional-use limits.
Optional: a principal may approve another exception for up to one school day, with notice to the superintendent within 5 days after	Not stated	Optional one-day principal exception with notice within 5 days.
Written notice each year and on enrollment: a staffed way to reach your child, and how to sign up for emergency notifications	Front office line published	Already close. Add emergency sign-up and send it each year and on enrollment.
Tell families, teachers and students about the policy each year; verify to PDE within 5 business days that it is posted online	Family letter	Board policy posted, announced each year and verified to PDE.

Where LockedIn fits

Bristol Township is planning a second step for 2027-28. LockedIn locks students' own phones from an admin dashboard with nothing to collect, so Truman's lunch and passing windows could close without adding a lockbox for every student.

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 Lower Bucks

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