South Williamsport Area School District Cell Phone Policy (2026)

South Williamsport Area School District in Lycoming County enrolled 1,068 students in 2024-25 according to federal data. It rewrote its policy after public comment in 2024.

South Williamsport Area phone rules today

The Williamsport Sun-Gazette reported in September 2024 that the board set a special meeting for public comment as it sought to revamp its phone policy, after the superintendent gathered information from neighboring districts. Policy 237, last revised April 28, 2025, bars elementary and middle school students from using devices without the principal's prior permission, with middle schoolers' phones kept in lockers. At the high school, each classroom has a secure storage area, such as a lockable box or shelf, where students place phones at the start of every class; use is allowed before and after school, at lunch in designated areas and during passing time.

Who enforces it

The regulation states: "Teachers are not responsible for storing or confiscating phones. Enforcement will be administrated by the school administration." The first two offenses bring a verbal warning, a third a formal meeting, a fourth a parent contact, and later offenses detention or suspension, with frequent violators referred for restorative practices. Parents are told not to text or call students during school hours and to contact the office in an emergency. Students without a phone for a class task get a district device.

What Act 117 requires of South Williamsport 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	South Williamsport Area today	What changes by 2027-28
No student use for the whole school day, including homeroom, lunch, recess and passing time	MS lockers all day; HS lunch and passing open	Close high school lunch and passing.
The board decides how possession is restricted (taking phones is not required)	Lockers; lockable classroom boxes	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	Medical, educational or legal reasons	List family 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	Teacher permission for legitimate educational purpose	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	Office relays messages	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 (rev. Apr. 28, 2025)	Board policy posted, announced each year and verified to PDE.

Where LockedIn fits

South Williamsport already took enforcement off teachers. LockedIn locks students' own phones from an admin dashboard with nothing to collect, so the lockable boxes are no longer filled and emptied every period, and it can run alongside storage.

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 South Williamsport

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