Pottsville Area School District Cell Phone Policy (2026)

Pottsville Area School District in Schuylkill County enrolled 2,589 students in 2024-25 according to federal data. It tightened phone rules for 2026-27 as part of a "Back to the Basic" campaign.

Pottsville Area phone rules today

The Republican Herald reported on September 8, 2026 that a new policy restricts personal electronic devices during the academic day, according to Superintendent Guy Lowery. The district encourages students not to bring devices. "If devices are indeed brought to the building, students are expected to turn their devices off and secure them in their bookbag or locker," Lowery said. "Students are not permitted to keep a device in their pocket." High school students may use devices during their lunch period.

The superintendent's letter

Lowery wrote to parents that there has been "an unprecedented push across the country to take an honest look at the electronic device dependence," adding, "We understand you send your child to school to learn the skills needed to become successful in life, not scroll social media."

What Act 117 requires of Pottsville 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	Pottsville Area today	What changes by 2027-28
No student use for the whole school day, including homeroom, lunch, recess and passing time	Off all day except HS lunch	End high school lunch use.
The board decides how possession is restricted (taking phones is not required)	Bookbag or locker; not in pockets	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 stated	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	Policy 237 approved educational purposes	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	New policy for 2026-27; Policy 237	Board policy posted, announced each year and verified to PDE.

Where LockedIn fits

Pottsville already keeps phones out of pockets. LockedIn locks students' own phones from an admin dashboard with nothing to collect, so closing the high school lunch window is a schedule change, and phones in bookbags stay locked without checks, alongside the lockers.

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 Pottsville

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