Hollidaysburg Area School District Cell Phone Policy (2026)

Hollidaysburg Area School District in Blair County enrolled 3,079 students in 2024-25 according to federal data. Its board spent the summer of 2026 debating how far a phone ban should go.

Hollidaysburg Area phone rules today

The Altoona Mirror reported in June 2026 that the board unanimously approved a bell-to-bell cellphone ban for the junior high and senior high, effective August 26, the first day of school, with first and second readings set on July 15 and August 12. Students must keep phones silenced and stored out of sight unless an exception in the policy applies, such as a medical emergency. Whether the August 12 second reading passed unchanged is not confirmed.

Two votes that shaped it

Before the unanimous vote, a motion to require phones to be kept in a locker or a vehicle all day failed 6-3. Board member Michele Luther argued that barring students from carrying phones would lead to retaliation and outbursts and that students should be treated like adults.

In July, Luther proposed letting senior high students use phones in the cafeteria to contact parents and check on jobs: "You're going to have students violating this by the dozens. The good majority of our high school students have jobs." Senior high Principal Breanne Venios said administrators wanted the same rule in both buildings, and board member Cara Eardley said, "I think we are overestimating the need kids have for phones." The proposal failed 6-2.

What Act 117 requires of Hollidaysburg 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	Hollidaysburg Area today	What changes by 2027-28
No student use for the whole school day, including homeroom, lunch, recess and passing time	Bell to bell at the junior and senior highs (2026-27)	Aligned with the whole-day rule; extend to elementary schools.
The board decides how possession is restricted (taking phones is not required)	Silenced and out of sight; students may carry them	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	Medical emergencies among others	Write in all four required exceptions; a medical emergency exception is narrower than Act 117's documented-condition rule.
Optional: a principal may approve another exception for up to one school day, with notice to the superintendent within 5 days after	Principal-approved reasons under Policy 237	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	Annual notice through the handbook	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; handbook ban	Board policy posted, announced each year and verified to PDE.

Where LockedIn fits

Hollidaysburg chose to let students carry phones rather than lock them in lockers or cars. LockedIn locks students' own phones from an admin dashboard with nothing to collect, so phones stay in pockets, as the board preferred, and stay locked all day without staff checks.

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 Hollidaysburg

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