Juniata County School District Cell Phone Policy (2026)

Juniata County School District enrolled 2,234 students in 2024-25 according to federal data. Its board debated phones in 2024 without a district-wide ban.

Juniata County phone rules today

The Lewistown Sentinel reported in September 2024 that Superintendent Christie Holderman would discuss phone use at a board workshop. "We are currently working through cell phones now. We do have teachers that limit the use during class," she said. "Our policy allows for students to carry and use them during the day." No later district-wide change was found.

A board member's case

Board member Jackson Albert said, "Cell phones are too much of a distraction to adults and to kids," and questioned relying on teacher discretion: "A student will use one teacher versus another and say 'Well so and so said we could have it in their classroom.'" He noted that some parents see the phone as personal property, calling that "a messy situation," and said, "An employer, white collar or blue, would not want to see an employee on their phone."

What Act 117 requires of Juniata County 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	Juniata County today	What changes by 2027-28
No student use for the whole school day, including homeroom, lunch, recess and passing time	Students may carry and use phones during the day	Adopt a whole-day rule, including lunch and passing time.
The board decides how possession is restricted (taking phones is not required)	Carried; teacher limits in class	State a whole-day 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	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	Teacher discretion	Teacher use must meet Act 117's three conditions; other exceptions capped at one day. Teacher discretion will not meet that standard.
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	Current policy (2024)	Board policy posted, announced each year and verified to PDE.

Where LockedIn fits

Juniata County's rule depends on each teacher. LockedIn locks students' own phones from an admin dashboard with nothing to collect, so every classroom follows the same schedule, which answers the consistency problem the board raised.

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 Juniata County

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