Springfield Township School District Cell Phone Policy (2026)

Springfield Township School District in Montgomery County enrolled 2,518 students in 2024-25 according to federal data. A parent campaign changed its phone and screen rules in 2024.

Springfield Township phone rules today

The Philadelphia Inquirer reported on August 25, 2024 that, after parent requests, all high school students must place phones in designated holders during class, and elementary students may no longer wear smartwatches. The high school's student paper reported that phones go into a "Cell Phone Locker" as class begins and may be used during class changes, Lunch and Learn and study hall. The middle school rule is stricter.

How parents got there

Parents organized a Facebook group of more than 200 people and in fall 2023 asked for middle school Chromebook and YouTube limits and a standard high school phone rule, since some teachers required phones to be put away and others didn't. "What we're essentially doing is putting a table full of candy out in front of these kids, and then telling them they need to make good choices around it," parent Karen Moore Schultz told the Inquirer. Superintendent Mary Jo Yannacone said, "I feel like we've landed in a really reasonable, appropriate, sound place" with the new rules.

What Act 117 requires of Springfield Township 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	Springfield Township today	What changes by 2027-28
No student use for the whole school day, including homeroom, lunch, recess and passing time	HS holders in class; use at lunch, class changes and study hall	End lunch, passing time and study hall use.
The board decides how possession is restricted (taking phones is not required)	Classroom holders	State a whole-day 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 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	Teacher-directed use	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	Policies and handbook	Board policy posted, announced each year and verified to PDE.

Where LockedIn fits

Springfield Township's parents asked for consistency across classrooms. LockedIn locks students' own phones from an admin dashboard with nothing to collect, so every classroom, and lunch, follows one schedule without holders at each door.

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 Oreland

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