Eastern Lancaster County School District Cell Phone Policy (2026)

Eastern Lancaster County School District (ELANCO) enrolled 2,578 students in 2024-25 according to federal data. It is now bell to bell in every grade.

ELANCO phone rules today

WITF reported on July 14, 2026 that ELANCO first adopted grade-level restrictions for 2024-25: elementary students could not have personal devices at school, middle schoolers had a bell-to-bell ban, and students on the secondary campus could use devices only in "non-instructional times" or with teacher permission. At the end of 2025-26, the board approved a revised policy extending the bell-to-bell ban to all students. Under the updated Policy 237, students may not use phones from the start of the day to the end, including lunch and between classes, unless an exception is approved in advance.

What changed

Superintendent Michael Snopkowski said the district acted after hearing concerns from building administrators and students, and that students are more engaged and building stronger in-person relationships. "I still believe in my heart, our kids are good kids," he said, adding that it had become "much too easy over time for kids to have access to a way in which they can say things, or interact with others that they would never do in person." About 95% of parents were supportive, he said.

What Act 117 requires of ELANCO 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	ELANCO today	What changes by 2027-28
No student use for the whole school day, including homeroom, lunch, recess and passing time	Bell to bell, all grades (2026-27)	Aligned with the whole-day rule.
The board decides how possession is restricted (taking phones is not required)	Not confirmed	State how possession is restricted.
Required exceptions: documented medical need of the student or an immediate family member, IEP or 504, English learner translation, limited teacher-approved instructional use	Preapproved exceptions	Confirm 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	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	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	Revised Policy 237 (end of 2025-26)	Board policy posted, announced each year and verified to PDE.

Where LockedIn fits

ELANCO is already bell to bell in every grade. LockedIn locks students' own phones from an admin dashboard with nothing to collect, so the rule holds on the secondary campus without staff checks, and preapproved exceptions can be handled from the dashboard.

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 New Holland

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