Southern York County School District Cell Phone Policy (2026)

Southern York County School District enrolled 2,724 students in 2024-25 according to federal data. Its board is in the middle of revising its device policy.

Southern York County phone rules today

Citizen Portal reported that a "heated, prolonged discussion" over handbook language and a bell-to-bell personal-device rule dominated the May 21, 2026 board meeting. Directors approved a revised device rule, excluding calculators, while deferring enforcement details.

The district's board review page says Policy 237, Electronic Devices, moved to second reading at the October 15, 2026 meeting. The PA Unplugged tracker lists the district as off and away starting in 2026-27.

What Act 117 requires of Southern York County 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	Southern York County today	What changes by 2027-28
No student use for the whole school day, including homeroom, lunch, recess and passing time	Bell-to-bell device rule approved May 2026	Confirm it covers lunch and passing time.
The board decides how possession is restricted (taking phones is not required)	Not confirmed	State how possession is restricted.
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	Not confirmed	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 confirmed	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 at second reading (Oct. 15, 2026)	Board policy posted, announced each year and verified to PDE.

Where LockedIn fits

Southern York County is finishing a new Policy 237 now. LockedIn locks students' own phones from an admin dashboard with nothing to collect, so the enforcement details the board deferred can be handled by one schedule, alongside an off-and-away 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 Glen Rock

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