Shaler Area School District Cell Phone Policy (2026)

Shaler Area School District in Allegheny County enrolled 3,840 students in 2024-25 according to federal data. Its leaders have argued against a full phone ban at the high school.

Shaler Area phone rules today

Shaler's rule is known as "off, off, and away": personal devices are off and put away during instructional time, and staff may confiscate a personal device seen in use.

WTAE reported on August 21, 2024 that the district was revamping the rule. Superintendent Bryan O'Black said it would not outright ban phones at the high school but would stress "time and place," such as a class activity or lunch.

Why Shaler stopped short of a ban

"Completely taking cellphones away from students doesn't teach them responsible use, so we want to, at the high school level, teach some responsible use," then-interim high school principal JoAnne Townsend told WTAE. The student paper, The Oracle, covered the debate in "Cell phones in schools: not a black and white issue."

What Act 117 requires of Shaler 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	Shaler Area today	What changes by 2027-28
No student use for the whole school day, including homeroom, lunch, recess and passing time	Off and away in class; HS lunch use under 'time and place'	End lunch and passing time use.
The board decides how possession is restricted (taking phones is not required)	Off and away; confiscation on sight	State a whole-day possession 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	Not confirmed	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	Class activities at teacher direction	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	Handbook rule	Board policy posted, announced each year and verified to PDE.

Where LockedIn fits

Shaler wants students to learn when phones belong. LockedIn locks students' own phones from an admin dashboard with nothing to collect, so phones stay with students, as Shaler prefers, while the school day stays locked as Act 117 requires.

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 Glenshaw

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