Tamaqua Area School District Cell Phone Policy (2026)

Tamaqua Area School District in Schuylkill County enrolled 2,048 students in 2024-25 according to federal data. Its board tightened phone rules in 2024.

Tamaqua Area phone rules today

The Times News reported on July 17, 2024 that the board approved a revised policy that prohibits phone use during classes except under direct teacher supervision, with devices turned off and placed in "teacher designated spaces." It covers phones, smartwatches and earbuds or headphones. Lunch is the only time students may use their phones. Secondary students had previously been allowed to carry silenced phones and use them at lunch, in study halls, between classes and in class with supervision. Elementary students do not have phone access during the day.

The policy allows educational use under a teacher's direction and medical use, "such as a diabetic student needing to check an insulin level." Later procedures say insulin-tracking exemptions must be written into a 504 plan or IEP.

Caddies and cost

Assistant Superintendent Stephen Toth said the district bought 54 caddies for a little over $1,200 so they would arrive before school started, and that "TASD will always explore grant opportunities" to recoup the cost. Board President Larry Wittig had said earlier that year he saw no upside to devices in school.

What Act 117 requires of Tamaqua 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	Tamaqua Area today	What changes by 2027-28
No student use for the whole school day, including homeroom, lunch, recess and passing time	Lunch use only (secondary)	End lunch use.
The board decides how possession is restricted (taking phones is not required)	Teacher-designated spaces and caddies	Aligned on method; extend to lunch.
Required exceptions: documented medical need of the student or an immediate family member, IEP or 504, English learner translation, limited teacher-approved instructional use	Teacher-directed and medical (insulin)	Add family medical and English learner translation; keep 504/IEP.
Optional: a principal may approve another exception for up to one school day, with notice to the superintendent within 5 days after	Use under direct teacher supervision	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	Revised electronic devices policy (July 2024)	Board policy posted, announced each year and verified to PDE.

Where LockedIn fits

Tamaqua already collects phones in classroom caddies. LockedIn locks students' own phones from an admin dashboard with nothing to collect, so closing lunch is a schedule change alongside the caddies, with medical exceptions still handled through 504 plans and IEPs.

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 Tamaqua

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