Montoursville Area School District Cell Phone Policy (2026)

Montoursville Area School District in Lycoming County enrolled 1,679 students in 2024-25 according to federal data. It has used locking pouches since 2024.

Montoursville Area phone rules today

The Williamsport Sun-Gazette reported in August 2024 that the board approved a $40,245 quote from Yondr Inc. for phone pouches. Superintendent Dan Taormina said parents he spoke to liked the idea, while expecting some "pushback," and that "The benefits far outweigh the struggles we are going to have at the beginning."

The 2025-26 faculty handbook, as summarized, bars use during the school day in classrooms, hallways, locker rooms, bathrooms and on buses; phones are powered off and locked in Yondr pouches at the start of first period and opened at exit stations at the end of the day. Exceptions cover health and safety emergencies, IEP and 504 needs and certain emergency-service members.

What Act 117 requires of Montoursville 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	Montoursville Area today	What changes by 2027-28
No student use for the whole school day, including homeroom, lunch, recess and passing time	Pouches first period to dismissal	Aligned if the rule covers arrival to first period; confirm.
The board decides how possession is restricted (taking phones is not required)	Yondr pouches	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	Emergencies, IEP/504, emergency-service members	Add family medical and English learner translation; the emergency-service exception is not in Act 117.
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	Board action (Aug. 2024); handbook	Board policy posted, announced each year and verified to PDE.

Where LockedIn fits

Montoursville runs pouches and exit stations every day. LockedIn locks students' own phones from an admin dashboard with nothing to collect, so there are no pouches to replace or stations to staff, and Emergency Mode unlocks every phone on campus 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 Montoursville

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