Lewisburg Area School District Cell Phone Policy (2026)

Lewisburg Area School District in Union County enrolled 1,810 students in 2024-25 according to federal data. Its board approved a classroom phone ban in July 2026.

Lewisburg Area phone rules today

The Daily Item reported on July 23, 2026 that the board voted to approve an updated student handbook under which phones will not be allowed in classrooms at all starting in 2026-27, replacing a rule that phones stay "out of sight" during instruction. A violation means the phone is confiscated until the end of the day and the student must turn it in to administration on arrival for the next three days. Continued violations bring parent pickup, conferences, detention and suspension.

Smart watches, AirPods and other devices may be used but not for communicating; repeat offenders can be barred from wearing a smartwatch.

What Act 117 requires of Lewisburg 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	Lewisburg Area today	What changes by 2027-28
No student use for the whole school day, including homeroom, lunch, recess and passing time	No phones in classrooms (2026-27)	Extend to lunch and passing time.
The board decides how possession is restricted (taking phones is not required)	Not in classrooms; lockers per summary	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	Updated handbook (July 2026 vote)	Board policy posted, announced each year and verified to PDE.

Where LockedIn fits

Lewisburg's rule stops at the classroom door. LockedIn locks students' own phones from an admin dashboard with nothing to collect, so extending to lunch and hallways is a schedule change, and there is no three-day morning hand-in for staff to manage.

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 Lewisburg

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