Jeannette City School District Cell Phone Policy (2026)

Jeannette City School District in Westmoreland County enrolled 932 students in 2024-25 according to federal data. Its board approved a new electronic device policy for 2026-27.

Jeannette phone rules today

CBS Pittsburgh reported on July 14, 2026 that a letter to families from Superintendent Matt Jones announced a new electronic device policy for 2026-27 at all Jeannette City schools: students are no longer permitted to use cell phones during the school day. The goal, the letter said, is "a learning environment where students can focus on instruction while maintaining a safe, respectful and secure school community." Devices are also barred in locker rooms, restrooms, health suites and changing areas.

Exceptions and rollout

WPXI reported the same day that the board approved the policy, with exceptions for educational, medical or emergency purposes approved by building principals. Discipline can include confiscation, and the district is not responsible for lost devices. Each principal was to explain expectations before the school year, and the rules appear in each school's handbook. Families were asked to review the policy with their children.

What Act 117 requires of Jeannette 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	Jeannette today	What changes by 2027-28
No student use for the whole school day, including homeroom, lunch, recess and passing time	No use during the school day (2026-27)	Aligned with the whole-day rule; confirm lunch and passing time.
The board decides how possession is restricted (taking phones is not required)	Not stated	State the possession method.
Required exceptions: documented medical need of the student or an immediate family member, IEP or 504, English learner translation, limited teacher-approved instructional use	Principal-approved medical or emergency use	Name medical (student or family), IEP/504 and English learner translation.
Optional: a principal may approve another exception for up to one school day, with notice to the superintendent within 5 days after	Principal-approved educational use	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	Board approval (July 2026); school handbooks	Board policy posted, announced each year and verified to PDE.

Where LockedIn fits

Jeannette's policy sends exceptions through building principals. LockedIn locks students' own phones from an admin dashboard with nothing to collect, so an approved exception can stay unlocked for that student while every other phone stays locked.

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 Jeannette

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