Greater Johnstown School District Cell Phone Policy (2026)

Greater Johnstown School District in Cambria County enrolled 2,840 students in 2024-25 according to federal data. WJAC called it one of the region's early bell-to-bell districts.

Greater Johnstown phone rules today

WJAC reported on August 19, 2026 that Greater Johnstown has run a bell-to-bell rule "for about three years." "When students enter the building, they put them in a yonder pouch, and the students can hold onto those yonder pouches, and they can carry them around, but they have no access to their phones until they are released at the end of the day by the magnetic release," said Michael Dadey, identified as superintendent.

How it has gone

Dadey said there was some pushback at first but the response has changed: "We're seeing a lot more interactions amongst the students, talking, interacting in a positive way, more interactions within the classroom and not as many distractions going on."

What Act 117 requires of Greater Johnstown 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	Greater Johnstown today	What changes by 2027-28
No student use for the whole school day, including homeroom, lunch, recess and passing time	Pouched bell to bell	Aligned with the whole-day rule.
The board decides how possession is restricted (taking phones is not required)	Students carry sealed pouches	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 found	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 found	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 found	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 text not found	Board policy posted, announced each year and verified to PDE.

Where LockedIn fits

Greater Johnstown already runs pouches all day. LockedIn locks students' own phones from an admin dashboard with nothing to collect, so there are no pouches to replace or magnets to manage at dismissal, and it can run alongside the pouches during a transition.

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 Johnstown

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