Ringgold School District Cell Phone Policy (2026)

Ringgold School District in Washington County enrolled 2,455 students in 2024-25 according to federal data. It was one of the first districts in western Pennsylvania to ban phone use during the school day.

Ringgold phone rules today

KDKA reported on August 24, 2022 that Ringgold enacted a new electronic device policy for 2022-23 barring students from using phones at school or on district property, including classrooms, locker rooms, bathrooms and buses. The district said its school police documented 56 criminal incidents the year before in which students used phones to plan fights, harass others and vandalize school property. The PA Unplugged tracker lists Ringgold as off and away since 2022-23.

Consequences

A first offense brings a phone conference with parents and a verbal warning; a second, detention. After that, the student must turn the phone in to the front office daily. The board said it adopted the policy "in order to support an education environment that is orderly, safe and secure for district students and employees."

What Act 117 requires of Ringgold 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	Ringgold today	What changes by 2027-28
No student use for the whole school day, including homeroom, lunch, recess and passing time	No use at school, on district property or buses	Aligned with the whole-day rule.
The board decides how possession is restricted (taking phones is not required)	Off and away; daily office check-in after repeat offenses	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	Not stated	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	Electronic device policy (2022-23)	Board policy posted, announced each year and verified to PDE.

Where LockedIn fits

Ringgold has run a whole-day ban for years. LockedIn locks students' own phones from an admin dashboard with nothing to collect, so the rule no longer depends on staff spotting phones, and repeat offenders do not need daily office check-ins.

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 the Ringgold area

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