Steelton-Highspire School District Cell Phone Policy (2026)

Steelton-Highspire School District in Dauphin County enrolled 1,474 students in 2024-25 according to federal data. It has been weighing a ban since at least 2024.

Steelton-Highspire phone rules today

PennLive reported in September 2024 that Steel-High was weighing a cellphone ban under the headline "The situation has become nearly unbearable." The Junior/Senior High School's 2025-26 school improvement plan lists the action step "Develop phone-free school policy and implement," led by the principal, with resources including cell phone holders for classrooms and Faraday bags, holders or boxes for school personnel.

What Act 117 requires of Steelton-Highspire 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	Steelton-Highspire today	What changes by 2027-28
No student use for the whole school day, including homeroom, lunch, recess and passing time	Phone-free policy planned (2025-26 plan)	Confirm it covers the whole day, including lunch and passing.
The board decides how possession is restricted (taking phones is not required)	Classroom holders; Faraday bags	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	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	School improvement plan action step	Board policy posted, announced each year and verified to PDE.

Where LockedIn fits

Steel-High planned Faraday bags and classroom holders. LockedIn locks students' own phones from an admin dashboard with nothing to collect, so there are no bags to buy or hand out, and it can run alongside storage the district already has.

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 Steelton

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