Keystone Central School District Cell Phone Policy (2026)

Keystone Central School District, based in Lock Haven, enrolled 3,325 students in 2024-25 according to federal data. Its board debated a full ban in August 2025.

Keystone Central phone rules today

The 2025-26 high school handbook says "electronic devices must be turned off prior to entry of instructional areas," with an exception when an instructor uses phones in a lesson. Elementary phones are off in backpacks before students enter classrooms. Policy 237, as summarized in search results, requires written parental consent and district registration for a student to have a device.

The August 2025 debate

The Express reported that board Vice President Butch Knauff said, "I think it's time we do away with cellphones and earbuds and electronic devices that distract from school," noting every student has a laptop: "They don't need the phone. They're a distraction." He said teachers interpret the policy differently. Assistant Superintendent Randy Zangara read the handbook rule and said, "There's not a 100 percent ban there." Superintendent Francis Redmon said changes would need conversations with staff, students and parents first. Board member Jeff Johnston agreed with Knauff.

What Act 117 requires of Keystone Central 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	Keystone Central today	What changes by 2027-28
No student use for the whole school day, including homeroom, lunch, recess and passing time	Off before entering instructional areas	End use in hallways, lunch and other noninstructional time.
The board decides how possession is restricted (taking phones is not required)	Off; registration and parent consent	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	Instructor lesson 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	Policy 237; handbook rule	Board policy posted, announced each year and verified to PDE.

Where LockedIn fits

Keystone Central's board wants consistency across teachers. LockedIn locks students' own phones from an admin dashboard with nothing to collect, so one schedule applies in every building instead of each teacher's reading of the handbook, alongside any storage the district picks.

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 Lock Haven

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