Elizabethtown Area School District Cell Phone Policy (2026)

Elizabethtown Area School District in Lancaster County enrolled 3,527 students in 2024-25 according to federal data. It adopted a K-12 bell-to-bell rule a year ahead of Act 117's deadline.

Elizabethtown Area phone rules today

The August 2026 Board Brief says that at its June meeting the board approved revisions to Policy 237, Electronic Devices, "following months of discussion and review," setting consistent expectations across all schools beginning in 2026-27.

The 2026-27 high school handbook says students in all grades K-12 turn off personal devices and secure them in a bookbag, a locker or another place the teacher directs for the entire school day. Devices "may not be seen or heard" anywhere in school buildings, including classrooms, hallways, libraries, cafeterias, gyms, auditoriums and restrooms, from the start of the day until dismissal ("bell to bell"). Unauthorized use of smartwatches, AI-enabled glasses, headphones or earbuds is a violation, and students must surrender devices to staff on request.

Earbuds as instructional tools

Headphones and earbuds are allowed only when a teacher explicitly authorizes them for a specific purpose, such as computer work, audio or video, language practice or testing accommodations. Principals keep a list of approved activities, and earbuds are barred during free time or at the end of class. The handbook also says contacting a parent by phone without going through the nurse or office can bring discipline. In 2025-26, phones only had to be out of sight in classrooms.

What Act 117 requires of Elizabethtown 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	Elizabethtown Area today	What changes by 2027-28
No student use for the whole school day, including homeroom, lunch, recess and passing time	K-12 bell to bell, including cafeterias (2026-27)	Aligned with the whole-day rule.
The board decides how possession is restricted (taking phones is not required)	Off in bookbag or locker	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	Testing accommodations for earbuds noted	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	Teacher-authorized earbuds from a principal's list	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	Students contact parents through the nurse or 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	Revised Policy 237 (June 2026)	Board policy posted, announced each year and verified to PDE.

Where LockedIn fits

Elizabethtown already says devices may not be seen or heard all day. LockedIn locks students' own phones from an admin dashboard with nothing to collect, so phones in bookbags stay locked without staff checks, and the principal's list of approved activities can map to timed unlocks.

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 Elizabethtown

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