Oswayo Valley School District Cell Phone Policy (2026)

Oswayo Valley School District in Potter County enrolled 272 students in 2024-25 according to federal data. It has kept phones off students since 2023-24.

Oswayo Valley phone rules today

A 2023 letter to families from Principal Erich Zaun says that starting in 2023-24, students may not have phones, smartwatches or any texting device on them during school hours. They place devices in a small personal locker with a built-in combination lock as they enter the building, assigned to each student, and pick them up at dismissal. Students call home from the office phone, and parents call the main office to reach a student. Students leaving early, for sports, career center classes or appointments, take their phones with them.

Why

The letter cites cyberbullying, setting up fights, cheating and phone addiction, and adds: "we recognize that students need to learn how to self-manage their usage of cell phones, but it is an undertaking that is too large for us to do alone."

What Act 117 requires of Oswayo Valley 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	Oswayo Valley today	What changes by 2027-28
No student use for the whole school day, including homeroom, lunch, recess and passing time	Entry to dismissal (since 2023-24)	Aligned with the whole-day rule.
The board decides how possession is restricted (taking phones is not required)	Assigned combination-lock phone lockers	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	Early dismissal access	Add 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	Administration permission only	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	Office phone; parents call main office	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	Handbook (2026-27)	Board policy posted, announced each year and verified to PDE.

Where LockedIn fits

Oswayo Valley bought a phone locker for every student. LockedIn locks students' own phones from an admin dashboard with nothing to collect, so early-dismissal students can be unlocked from the dashboard instead of a locker stop.

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 Shinglehouse

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