Nazareth Area School District Cell Phone Policy (2026)

Nazareth Area School District in Northampton County enrolled 4,885 students in 2024-25 according to federal data. It is one of the few districts we found that ties phone use to a registration step.

Nazareth Area phone rules today

Nazareth has two board policies: 237, Electronic Communication Devices and 237.1, Personal Electronic Communication Devices. As indexed, 237.1 permits silent use of personal devices during the school day, on district property and at sponsored activities if use is not disruptive, provided the student has written parent or guardian consent on the district form and the device is registered with the district.

Devices are off in instructional areas unless a teacher allows them. Permitted times include educational use, before and after school, lunch, hallways during passing, authorized buses and authorized library or study hall use. Violations can mean confiscation and discipline. The high school handbook also bars unauthorized classroom use, photos and videos.

What Act 117 requires of Nazareth 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	Nazareth Area today	What changes by 2027-28
No student use for the whole school day, including homeroom, lunch, recess and passing time	Silent use at lunch, in halls, on buses and in authorized study halls	End lunch, passing time and study hall use.
The board decides how possession is restricted (taking phones is not required)	Registration and parent consent to carry; off in instructional areas	Registration can stay, but the board must set how possession is restricted all day.
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 confirmed	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	Teacher authorization in instructional areas	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	Policies 237 and 237.1 on BoardDocs	Amended policy posted, announced each year and verified to PDE.

Where LockedIn fits

Nazareth already knows which phones are on campus through registration. LockedIn locks students' own phones from an admin dashboard with nothing to collect, so registered devices can be locked for the whole day, alongside any storage the district keeps.

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 Nazareth

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