Tri-Valley School District Cell Phone Policy (2026)

Tri-Valley School District in Schuylkill County enrolled 882 students in 2024-25 according to federal data. It allows phones outside class at the Jr-Sr High.

Tri-Valley phone rules today

The Republican Herald reported on September 8, 2026 that Jr-Sr High students may use phones, smartwatches, smart glasses and earbuds before school, after dismissal, at lunch in the cafeteria and in the hallways between classes. In class, devices go in a classroom holder or backpack and are used only for teacher-approved purposes under supervision. Elementary devices stay in backpacks all day. Principal Ryan Wagner said the school values phone access "due to our high numbers of extracurricular participation in athletics, band, academic teams and more," while working on "boundaries as they pose a significant distraction."

A sunset clause

Acting Superintendent Paul Caputo said he would support a statewide bell-to-bell ban with a three-year legislative sunset: "Three years is long enough to get past the first-year adjustment and see whether the restrictions are working." He said a law should keep exceptions for special education, medical use, translation, supervised instruction and emergencies.

What Act 117 requires of Tri-Valley 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	Tri-Valley today	What changes by 2027-28
No student use for the whole school day, including homeroom, lunch, recess and passing time	Class only; lunch and hallways allowed (Jr-Sr High)	End lunch and passing time use.
The board decides how possession is restricted (taking phones is not required)	Classroom holder or backpack	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	Teacher-approved, supervised 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	District policy	Board policy posted, announced each year and verified to PDE.

Where LockedIn fits

Tri-Valley's students lean on phones for rides to games and practices. LockedIn locks students' own phones from an admin dashboard with nothing to collect, so phones unlock at dismissal for those plans and stay locked through lunch and passing time.

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 Valley View

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