Jefferson-Morgan School District Cell Phone Policy (2026)

Jefferson-Morgan School District in Greene County enrolled 774 students in 2024-25 according to federal data. It splits its rule at grade 9.

Jefferson-Morgan phone rules today

The Herald-Standard reported on December 8, 2024 that grades K-8 have a strict no cellphone policy, while high school use is left to each teacher. Superintendent Brandon Robinson said: "For high school students, we have to teach them how to use them appropriately in the world they are going into. I am not personally a fan of the pouches." He added, "We have a job to teach them how to live in a world with their cellphone," and noted that after graduation, "Nobody is going to tell you to put your cellphone away."

Wall holders

In September 2025 a Carmichaels Area parent, speaking at her own board meeting, pointed to Jefferson-Morgan as a district where students put phones in a holder on the classroom wall.

What Act 117 requires of Jefferson-Morgan 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	Jefferson-Morgan today	What changes by 2027-28
No student use for the whole school day, including homeroom, lunch, recess and passing time	K-8 strict ban; high school teacher discretion	Extend the whole-day rule to grades 9-12.
The board decides how possession is restricted (taking phones is not required)	Classroom wall holders	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 stated	Add medical, 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	High school teacher discretion	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	Middle/High School handbook	Board policy posted, announced each year and verified to PDE.

Where LockedIn fits

Jefferson-Morgan's superintendent wants high schoolers to learn self-management and doesn't like pouches. LockedIn locks students' own phones from an admin dashboard with nothing to collect, so phones stay with students and the district can open a window later when the law allows.

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 Jefferson

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