Knoch School District Cell Phone Policy (2026)

Knoch School District in Butler County enrolled 2,028 students in 2024-25 according to federal data. For 2026-27 its high school joined the rest of the district in banning phones.

Knoch phone rules today

The Butler Eagle reported on July 11, 2026 that Knoch High School Principal Kurt Reiser wrote families on July 7 that students must turn off and store away phones and other personal electronic devices during the school day starting in 2026-27. "Parents and teachers overwhelmingly expressed support for clearer and more unified expectations regarding personal electronic devices during the school day," he wrote.

Superintendent Melissa Grantz said the change brings the high school in line with the district's other schools: "We already had a bell-to-bell policy in the other buildings, so students are not permitted to use their cellphones campuswide now." At Knoch Middle School, a phone used during the academic day can be confiscated; the first offense brings a student conference, the second a parent notification and the third a one-hour detention.

How the district decided

The idea was first raised at an education committee meeting on May 13, 2026, citing Butler County neighbors Seneca Valley and Slippery Rock Area. A five-question parent survey drew 258 responses; more than half agreed that a schoolwide ban would improve focus and learning, while some parents raised concerns about emergencies and medical needs. "I think everyone agrees that students need to be focused on learning while they're here," Grantz said.

What Act 117 requires of Knoch 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	Knoch today	What changes by 2027-28
No student use for the whole school day, including homeroom, lunch, recess and passing time	Bell to bell in all buildings (2026-27)	Aligned with the whole-day rule.
The board decides how possession is restricted (taking phones is not required)	Off and stored away	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; parents raised medical needs	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	Not stated	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	Details promised over the summer	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	Principal letter (July 7, 2026)	Board policy posted, announced each year and verified to PDE. Confirm the board policy matches the letter.

Where LockedIn fits

Knoch parents raised emergencies and medical needs. LockedIn locks students' own phones from an admin dashboard with nothing to collect, so phones stay with students but locked, and Emergency Mode unlocks every phone on campus at once, subject to counsel review.

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 Saxonburg

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