Montour School District Cell Phone Policy (2026)

Montour School District in Allegheny County enrolled 3,256 students in 2024-25 according to federal data. It tightened high school phone rules for 2026-27 to prepare for a state law.

Montour phone rules today

In an August 24, 2026 letter to high school parents, Superintendent Dr. Christopher Stone said that beginning in 2026-27, students may access phones only before the first bell, during their scheduled lunch period and after the last bell. During classes, homeroom and passing periods, phones and other personal devices are silenced and stored under school procedures, with no use unless staff grant permission for an authorized educational, medical or emergency purpose.

Preparing for the state

Stone wrote that the change "helps prepare students and families for the possibility of more restrictive statewide requirements" by 2027-28 and that the approach "provides students with limited opportunities to access their phones while establishing clearer boundaries throughout the academic day." On emergencies, he wrote that Montour "is a safe and secure campus supported by more than 400 security cameras, armed school police officers" and a broader safety plan.

What Act 117 requires of Montour 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	Montour today	What changes by 2027-28
No student use for the whole school day, including homeroom, lunch, recess and passing time	Before first bell, lunch and after last bell only	End lunch use.
The board decides how possession is restricted (taking phones is not required)	Silenced and stored in class, homeroom and passing	Aligned on method if extended through lunch.
Required exceptions: documented medical need of the student or an immediate family member, IEP or 504, English learner translation, limited teacher-approved instructional use	Staff permission for medical purposes	Add IEP/504, English learner translation and an immediate family member's medical need.
Optional: a principal may approve another exception for up to one school day, with notice to the superintendent within 5 days after	Staff permission for educational or emergency purposes	Teacher use must meet Act 117's three conditions; other exceptions capped at one day. A staff-granted emergency use needs counsel review.
Written notice each year and on enrollment: a staffed way to reach your child, and how to sign up for emergency notifications	Safety plan described to parents	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; policy number not stated	Board policy posted, announced each year and verified to PDE.

Where LockedIn fits

Montour already locks down everything but lunch. LockedIn locks students' own phones from an admin dashboard with nothing to collect, so closing the lunch window is one schedule change rather than a new storage system, and it runs alongside the storage procedures already in place.

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 McKees Rocks

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