North Star School District Cell Phone Policy (2026)

North Star School District in Somerset County enrolled 998 students in 2024-25 according to federal data. It adopted a bell-to-bell rule for 2026-27.

North Star phone rules today

WJAC reported on August 19, 2026 that North Star is adopting a bell-to-bell policy for 2026-27: students in prekindergarten through grade 6 may not have personal devices in school at all, and in grades 7 through 12 phones must stay put away from morning until after school ends. The policy does not require phones to be locked; they may be in a locker, backpack, purse or pocket as long as they are not out or in use. "We certainly hope to see a greater focus on instruction and then we also hope to see a return to some more basic social skills in terms of talking to people," Superintendent Thad Kiesnowski said. "We really felt that it was important to get something in place, not only in preparation but because we are seeing an impact on our students."

The posted policy

The district posted its approved Student Cell Phone and Personal Electronic Device Policy, which says phone use and social media access "continue to create significant distractions to instruction and may negatively impact the mental health, social development, and academic performance of students." As summarized in search results, families and students contact each other through the school office, and violations follow progressive discipline.

What Act 117 requires of North Star 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	North Star today	What changes by 2027-28
No student use for the whole school day, including homeroom, lunch, recess and passing time	PreK-6 none; 7-12 away all day (2026-27)	Aligned with the whole-day rule.
The board decides how possession is restricted (taking phones is not required)	Locker, backpack, purse or pocket	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	Not confirmed	Confirm medical, IEP/504 and English learner translation.
Optional: a principal may approve another exception for up to one school day, with notice to the superintendent within 5 days after	Not confirmed	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	School office contact	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	Approved policy (2026)	Board policy posted, announced each year and verified to PDE.

Where LockedIn fits

North Star chose not to lock phones, so a phone in a pocket depends on students leaving it there. LockedIn locks students' own phones from an admin dashboard with nothing to collect, which keeps the pocket option and adds the lock.

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 Boswell

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