Wallenpaupack Area School District Cell Phone Policy (2026)

Wallenpaupack Area School District enrolled 2,766 students in 2024-25 according to federal data. Its superintendent described a split rule in August 2026.

Wallenpaupack Area phone rules today

Superintendent Keith Gunuskey told The River Reporter in August 2026 that the middle school has a no-phone rule: "From the time you walk in to the time you leave school, no cell phones." He said, "That feeling of confidence that they can learn without that distraction in the back of their mind has helped immensely."

High school students may not have phones out during class, but using them between classes is fine. The paper reported that for 2028-29 "a new policy will be put in place to align with state guidelines."

A deadline to check

Act 117 requires a policy by the start of 2027-28, a year earlier than the 2028-29 date in the River Reporter story. The district should confirm its timeline.

What Act 117 requires of Wallenpaupack 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	Wallenpaupack Area today	What changes by 2027-28
No student use for the whole school day, including homeroom, lunch, recess and passing time	MS no phones all day; HS use between classes	End high school passing time and lunch use.
The board decides how possession is restricted (taking phones is not required)	Not stated	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	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	MS handbook: parents should not contact students by phone	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	New policy planned for 2028-29	Policy due by the start of 2027-28.

Where LockedIn fits

Wallenpaupack already runs a whole-day rule at the middle school. LockedIn locks students' own phones from an admin dashboard with nothing to collect, so the high school can move to the same rule on Act 117's timeline, alongside whatever storage the district uses.

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 Hawley

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