Sayre Area School District Cell Phone Policy (2026)

Sayre Area School District in Bradford County enrolled 824 students in 2024-25 according to federal data. Its high school asks students to keep phones put away in class.

Sayre Area phone rules today

The Morning Times reported on August 8, 2025 that Sayre's approach is softer than the state-mandated bell-to-bell ban across the line in Waverly, New York. High School Principal Cambria Ely said: "Our policy is that our students are allowed to have cellphones, they just are supposed to have them put away, either put in their bag or left alone in their locker. It can even be in their pocket during class time, but they cant have them out during class time." She added, "from my perspective, it's not an overwhelming problem here in this building." The 2025 middle school handbook has phones off in lockers or at the front desk, with a school phone for calling parents.

On a state law

Ely said "each school should be able to determine that based on their population, the teachers and students in the building... But certainly, it does release you from some of the pressure if it's a statewide measure." She also said storage systems are expensive and expected state funding to follow any law.

What Act 117 requires of Sayre 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	Sayre Area today	What changes by 2027-28
No student use for the whole school day, including homeroom, lunch, recess and passing time	High school: class time only	Extend to lunch and passing time.
The board decides how possession is restricted (taking phones is not required)	Bag, locker or pocket (HS); locker or front desk (MS)	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	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	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	School phone; parents call front office (MS)	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	Handbooks (2025)	Board policy posted, announced each year and verified to PDE.

Where LockedIn fits

Sayre's principal worried about the cost of storage systems. LockedIn locks students' own phones from an admin dashboard with nothing to collect, so phones can stay in pockets while meeting the whole-day rule.

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 Sayre

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