Derry Township School District Cell Phone Policy (2026)

Derry Township School District in Hershey enrolled 3,131 students in 2024-25 according to federal data. It was one of the first in central Pennsylvania to go phone free all day.

Derry Township phone rules today

On June 24, 2024 the board approved revisions to Policy 237, Electronic Devices, for 2024-25. The district's FAQ says elementary phones are off in backpacks, middle school phones go in assigned lockers, and high schoolers are encouraged to use their lockers or may keep phones in a backpack if they are off and away for the entire school day. Phones may not be used at lunch or between classes, and parents cannot opt out.

The district did not buy pouches. Smartwatches may be worn but set to time only, in airplane mode. The policy does not apply on school buses, and phones are allowed at athletic events. Parents can email students' school accounts or call the main office in an emergency.

Coverage

WHYY featured the district in "Radnor, Hershey lean in, sans pouches," and hbg100 reported in August 2024 that the district would "permanently ban cell phone use in schools." The PA Unplugged tracker lists it as off and away since 2024-25.

What Act 117 requires of Derry 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	Derry Township today	What changes by 2027-28
No student use for the whole school day, including homeroom, lunch, recess and passing time	Off and away all day, including lunch and passing	Aligned with the whole-day rule.
The board decides how possession is restricted (taking phones is not required)	Backpacks (elementary), lockers (MS), lockers or backpacks (HS)	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 stated in the FAQ	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	Trips and internships at teacher or mentor discretion	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	Parents email school accounts or call the main office	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 (June 24, 2024)	Board policy posted, announced each year and verified to PDE.

Where LockedIn fits

Derry Township already runs a whole-day rule without pouches. LockedIn locks students' own phones from an admin dashboard with nothing to collect, so high schoolers who keep phones in backpacks stay locked without staff checks, alongside the lockers the district already assigns.

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 Hershey

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