Brockway Area School District Cell Phone Policy (2026)

Brockway Area School District in Jefferson County enrolled 840 students in 2024-25 according to federal data. It started a new policy in 2026-27.

Brockway Area phone rules today

The Courier Express reported on September 3, 2026 that students below 10th grade have no access to phones from the start of the school day until the final bell. Students in 10th grade and above may use phones between classes; in class, phones go in numbered caddies with assigned spots. Parents are asked to contact the school office.

Where it began

In January 2025 the Courier Express reported that a parent thanked the board for the elementary school's new strict phone policy, added after she raised a bus incident with the school. She said administrators acted quickly and planned more teaching about social media risks.

What Act 117 requires of Brockway 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	Brockway Area today	What changes by 2027-28
No student use for the whole school day, including homeroom, lunch, recess and passing time	Bell to bell below grade 10; passing use grades 10-12	Extend the whole-day rule to grades 10-12.
The board decides how possession is restricted (taking phones is not required)	Numbered classroom caddies	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	Medical with documentation	Add family 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	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	School office contact	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	Handbook (2026-27)	Board policy posted, announced each year and verified to PDE.

Where LockedIn fits

Brockway runs two rules by grade and a caddy check in every class. LockedIn locks students' own phones from an admin dashboard with nothing to collect, so one schedule can cover every grade and the caddy count goes away.

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 Brockway

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