Punxsutawney Area School District Cell Phone Policy (2026)

Punxsutawney Area School District in Jefferson County enrolled 1,928 students in 2024-25 according to federal data. Students helped write its phone policy.

Punxsutawney Area phone rules today

The Courier Express reported on August 29, 2024 that Policy 237.1, Electronic Communication Devices for Grades 7-12, requires students to "place personal electronic communication devices at a designated station located in each classroom. Personal electronic communication devices are to remain at the stations at all times." Every classroom has a 36-slot hanging organizer. Students may use devices before school, between classes, at lunch and after school.

The policy also exempts students "when the educational, safety, emergency, medical or security use of personal communication devices by a student is approved by the building principal or is required by the student's individualized education plan or Section 504 plan."

Written with students

Teacher action teams in the high school's Leader in Me program drafted the policy, and student leaders and the student council reviewed it before the board passed it; it took effect in June 2024. "The new policy has been very well-received, and I think it is largely in part due to the collaborative effort that went into drafting the policy," Assistant Principal Dr. Sheena Smelko said. The same fall, a $40,000 PCCD grant helped put red emergency backpacks in every classroom.

What Act 117 requires of Punxsutawney 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	Punxsutawney Area today	What changes by 2027-28
No student use for the whole school day, including homeroom, lunch, recess and passing time	Class time only; use between classes and at lunch	End passing time and lunch use.
The board decides how possession is restricted (taking phones is not required)	Classroom stations	State a whole-day method.
Required exceptions: documented medical need of the student or an immediate family member, IEP or 504, English learner translation, limited teacher-approved instructional use	Principal-approved, IEP and 504	Add family medical 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	Principal-approved educational use	Teacher use must meet Act 117's three conditions; other exceptions capped at one day. Principal approval of emergency or security use must fit the one-day cap.
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	Policy 237.1 (June 2024)	Board policy posted, announced each year and verified to PDE.

Where LockedIn fits

Punxsutawney students handle their phones at every class change. LockedIn locks students' own phones from an admin dashboard with nothing to collect, so there are no classroom stations to fill and empty, and extending the rule to lunch and passing time is a schedule change.

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 Punxsutawney

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