Charleroi Area School District Cell Phone Policy (2026)

Charleroi Area School District in Washington County enrolled 1,384 students in 2024-25 according to federal data. It wrote its bell-to-bell rule with the state law in mind.

Charleroi Area phone rules today

Charleroi's Bell-to-Bell Cell Phone Policy page says that under Administrative Regulation 237.1, students store personal electronic devices in district-issued locking cases from the start of the school day until dismissal, "in alignment with Pennsylvania's statewide student device restrictions scheduled to take effect in 2027." Each student is assigned a NuKase that stays with them all day; they unlock it at dismissal and leave it at school. Late arrivals have the case locked at the front desk.

The district explains why passing periods, lunch and study halls are included: "many phone violations take place during passing periods, lunch breaks, and free periods. This is the time when students take or share inappropriate videos and pictures of themselves or their classmates."

Emergencies and exceptions

Families call the school office, and students may use the office phone. The FAQ argues that phones in an emergency can overload networks, distract from safety protocols and, through "ringing, vibrating, screen lights," reveal hidden locations, and says mass notifications go to parents. Medical needs such as diabetic monitoring are handled case by case through a 504 or IEP. Smartwatches must be off and stored, and use on trips and at athletics is at the advisor's discretion.

What Act 117 requires of Charleroi 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	Charleroi Area today	What changes by 2027-28
No student use for the whole school day, including homeroom, lunch, recess and passing time	Start of day to dismissal, including lunch	Aligned with the whole-day rule.
The board decides how possession is restricted (taking phones is not required)	District-issued locking cases	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 via 504 or IEP	Add family medical 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	Office phone line; mass notifications	Confirm written notice 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	Administrative Regulation 237.1	Board policy posted, announced each year and verified to PDE.

Where LockedIn fits

Charleroi hands out, locks and collects a case for every student every day. LockedIn locks students' own phones from an admin dashboard with nothing to collect, so late arrivals and early dismissals do not need a trip to the front desk, and it can run alongside storage.

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 Charleroi

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