Manheim Township School District Cell Phone Policy (2026-27)

Manheim Township School District enrolled 6,004 students in 2024-25 according to federal data. Its Policy 237 bans use during the school day on paper, then carves out lunch and passing time for the high school.

Manheim Township phone rules today

From the Manheim Township High School 2026-27 Student Handbook:

• In class: phones go in backpacks, and backpacks go in a spot the teacher designates. Smart glasses, earbuds and headphones are away too. Students may not get to their backpacks until the period ends, even to go to the restroom, health room or main office.
• Allowed: before and after school, in study halls, between classes and in the cafeteria at lunch.

Policy 237, as printed in the handbook, prohibits use during the school day and bans devices at all times in locker rooms, bathrooms and health suites. The principal may approve use for health, safety or emergency reasons, an IEP or 504 plan, supervised classroom activities, or "other reasons determined appropriate by the building principal." High school students are then allowed use at lunch, between classes, on the bus and in library or study hall with permission.

What Act 117 requires of Manheim Township 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	Manheim Township today	What changes by 2027-28
No student use for the whole school day, including homeroom, lunch, recess and passing time	Policy bans use, then allows high school lunch, passing, study hall and bus use	Remove the high school carve-out.
The board decides how possession is restricted (taking phones is not required)	Backpacks in a teacher-designated spot during class	Extend restriction beyond class periods.
Required exceptions: documented medical need of the student or an immediate family member, IEP or 504, English learner translation, limited teacher-approved instructional use	Health, safety or emergency; IEP/504; supervised class use	Add English learner translation and a family member's medical need; narrow class use to Act 117's three conditions.
Optional: a principal may approve another exception for up to one school day, with notice to the superintendent within 5 days after	"Other reasons" the principal approves	Cap at one school day with notice to the superintendent within 5 days.
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 printed in handbook	Annual notice and PDE posting verification.

Where LockedIn fits

Manheim Township already separates students from backpacks during class. LockedIn locks students' own phones from an admin dashboard with nothing to collect, so lunch and passing time could be covered without new storage.

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 the Manheim Township area

Act 117's definition of "school entity" includes private schools, approved private schools and nonpublic schools, so the Manheim Township area'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.