Cumberland Valley School District Cell Phone Policy (2026-27)

Cumberland Valley School District enrolled 10,401 students in 2024-25 according to federal data. Its board voted 5-3 in June 2026 to restrict phones for the whole school day, hours after the state House passed HB 1814.

Cumberland Valley phone rules today

WGAL reported on June 2, 2026 that the board adopted a policy restricting personal electronic devices during the school day:

• Off and stored while on school property or under district supervision.
• Elementary and middle school students keep devices in a bookbag or locker. The high school follows additional handbook rules.
• A narrower version failed. An amendment to change "during the school day" to "during the instructional school day" did not pass.
• Timing. The vote came hours after the House passed HB 1814, and board members debated whether to wait for the state.

A September 2026 district newsletter describes the revised Policy 237 as keeping devices off and away from the start of homeroom through the end of the last class, including smartwatches, smart glasses and wireless earbuds.

What Act 117 requires of Cumberland Valley 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	Cumberland Valley today	What changes by 2027-28
No student use for the whole school day, including homeroom, lunch, recess and passing time	Off and stored for the school day; the 'instructional day' amendment failed	Little change. Confirm lunch counts as part of the school day in the high school rules.
The board decides how possession is restricted (taking phones is not required)	Bookbag or locker	No change needed.
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	Check that all four required exceptions are written in.
Optional: a principal may approve another exception for up to one school day, with notice to the superintendent within 5 days after	Not confirmed	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	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	Policy 237 revised 2026	Annual notice and PDE posting verification.

The failed amendment matters. Act 117 defines the school day as all instructional and non-instructional time, so a policy limited to the instructional day would not have met Act 117.

Where LockedIn fits

Cumberland Valley relies on students keeping phones off in bookbags or lockers. LockedIn locks students' own phones from an admin dashboard with nothing to collect, and can run alongside that 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 the Cumberland Valley area

Act 117's definition of "school entity" includes private schools, approved private schools and nonpublic schools, so the Cumberland Valley area'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.