Mahanoy Area School District Cell Phone Policy (2026)

Mahanoy Area School District in Schuylkill County enrolled 1,140 students in 2024-25 according to federal data. It banned phone use in 2024.

Mahanoy Area phone rules today

FOX56 reported on July 23, 2024 that Mahanoy Area prohibited student phone use during school hours starting in 2024-25, in a letter from Superintendent Dr. Joie L. Green. Students could keep phones on them but off and put away, and other personal electronics such as AirPods, headphones, earbuds and speakers were barred. After a fourth offense, students faced an out-of-school suspension, a parent hearing and a phone contract with a daily check-in and check-out for the rest of the marking period or 15 school days. Parents with an emergency call the school office, which relays a message.

A later district notice says teachers in grades 7 through 12 collect all phones at the start of each period and return them at the end, a fourth offense bans the student from bringing a phone for the rest of the year, and for every offense a parent must come to retrieve the phone.

What Act 117 requires of Mahanoy 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	Mahanoy Area today	What changes by 2027-28
No student use for the whole school day, including homeroom, lunch, recess and passing time	No use during the school day	Aligned with the whole-day rule.
The board decides how possession is restricted (taking phones is not required)	Off on person; collected each period in grades 7-12	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	Add medical, IEP/504 and English learner translation.
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	Office relays messages	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	Superintendent letter (2024); handbook	Board policy posted, announced each year and verified to PDE.

Where LockedIn fits

Mahanoy teachers collect and return phones every period. LockedIn locks students' own phones from an admin dashboard with nothing to collect, which gives that class time back and replaces the check-in and check-out contract.

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 Mahanoy City

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