Lehighton Area School District Cell Phone Policy (2026)

Lehighton Area School District in Carbon County enrolled 2,114 students in 2024-25 according to federal data. Its board took up the state ban in early 2026.

Lehighton Area phone rules today

The 2025-26 high school handbook, as summarized, keeps devices out of sight or in classroom phone holders during class but allows responsible use in the cafeteria and study hall, including texting, with no calls, video or photos, and no devices in restrooms.

The Times News reported on February 27, 2026 that Lehighton directors and administrators discussed the state bill, saying its final form was unsettled. Superintendent Jason Moser said, "It was an incredibly bipartisan bill."

The board discussion

Resident Roy James cited a study he had shared with the superintendent: "I think the evidence is becoming very clear that cellphones at an early age are detrimental to learning and detrimental socially." Board members raised parent concerns about emergency communication. Director Dave Bradley said, "The largest lobby in the state of Pennsylvania is the PSEA. I don't think those parents have a chance in heck about stopping anything that the state wants to do."

What Act 117 requires of Lehighton Area 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	Lehighton Area today	What changes by 2027-28
No student use for the whole school day, including homeroom, lunch, recess and passing time	Use in cafeteria and study hall	End cafeteria and study hall use.
The board decides how possession is restricted (taking phones is not required)	Out of sight or classroom holders	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	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	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	2025-26 handbook	Board policy posted, announced each year and verified to PDE.

Where LockedIn fits

Lehighton's board heard parent concerns about emergencies. LockedIn locks students' own phones from an admin dashboard with nothing to collect, so closing cafeteria and study hall use is a schedule change, and Emergency Mode can unlock every phone 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 Lehighton

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