Franklin Area School District Cell Phone Policy (2026)

Franklin Area School District in Venango County enrolled 1,768 students in 2024-25 according to federal data. It tightened phone expectations in 2023 after a family survey.

Franklin Area phone rules today

The Derrick reported in November 2023 that, after a June survey, a July letter told high school families that grades 9 through 12 may use phones only in non-instructional periods: transportation, before the first bell, between classes, lunch, study hall and after school, and that phones must be "off and out of sight" in class. Co-principal K.C. Miller said no formal policy change was made but enforcement became school-wide rather than left to individual teachers. "We've compromised to allow students to have their phones in non-instructional times," he said.

For junior high students, "In the fourth quarter of last year, we eliminated phones completely for 7th and 8th grades," Miller said. They had been allowed to use phones at lunch, but "They'd be sending Snapchats all through lunch, and the fallout would happen all afternoon." Junior high phones now stay in lockers.

What staff saw

"We see a lot of positive interactions," Miller said. "It eliminates a lot of unnecessary drama and negativity." At the Veterans Day ceremony, "phones were away and we didn't even have to tell them." Senior Brianna Clark said, "I was against it at first, but I kind of like it now."

What Act 117 requires of Franklin 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	Franklin Area today	What changes by 2027-28
No student use for the whole school day, including homeroom, lunch, recess and passing time	JH lockers all day; HS use at lunch, passing and study hall	End high school non-instructional use.
The board decides how possession is restricted (taking phones is not required)	JH lockers; HS off and out of sight in class	State a whole-day method for high school.
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	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	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	Not stated	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	Existing policy; 2023 letter	Board policy posted, announced each year and verified to PDE.

Where LockedIn fits

Franklin already saw lunch use cause afternoon fallout in junior high. LockedIn locks students' own phones from an admin dashboard with nothing to collect, so extending that lesson to the high school is a schedule change, without lockers for every grade.

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 Franklin

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