Mt. Lebanon School District Cell Phone Policy (2026)

Mt. Lebanon School District in Allegheny County enrolled 5,504 students in 2024-25 according to federal data. Its rules already split sharply by grade: lockers all day through 8th grade, hallway use at the high school.

Mt. Lebanon phone rules today

Mt. Lebanon's Student Devices page sets expectations by grade band:

• K-5: phones, smartwatches, earbuds and headphones are off and stored in lockers and not permitted during school hours unless authorized. District-issued and personal devices may not be used at lunch, recess, instructional free time or as a PBIS reward.
• 6-8: off and in lockers during school hours, with the same lunch, recess and PBIS limits. Chromebooks are used for learning at teacher direction.
• 9-12: personal devices are prohibited in academic areas and during instructional time unless staff give explicit permission for an instructional task. They are permitted in hallways between classes, in Center Court and in the Activities Office area. All devices go in classroom holders during lessons.

Students in grades 6-12 are expected to bring a non-cellphone device each day. The high school handbook also asks parents not to call their child's cell phone during an emergency, because it "can seriously limit communication with emergency personnel."

The 2025 board discussion

The Dormont Gazette reported on June 19, 2025 that the board's June 16 meeting discussed a proposal to bar high school phones in all academic areas, including classrooms, study halls and the library, while letting students carry them silenced and put away. Members raised questions about consistent enforcement and consequences. It was a discussion item with no vote reported.

What Act 117 requires of Mt. Lebanon 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	Mt. Lebanon today	What changes by 2027-28
No student use for the whole school day, including homeroom, lunch, recess and passing time	K-8 lockers all day; 9-12 hallways, Center Court and the Activities Office area allowed	End high school hallway and common area use.
The board decides how possession is restricted (taking phones is not required)	Lockers (K-8); classroom holders during lessons (9-12)	Extend a whole-day method to the high school; holders only cover class time.
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 on the devices page	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	Staff may permit use for a specific instructional task	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	Handbook asks parents not to call phones in an emergency	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	Expectations posted on the district site	Board policy posted, announced each year and verified to PDE.

Where LockedIn fits

Mt. Lebanon already keeps K-8 phones in lockers. At the high school, LockedIn locks students' own phones from an admin dashboard with nothing to collect, so it can run alongside the classroom holders and cover hallways and Center Court, which Act 117 brings inside the school day.

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 Mt. Lebanon

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