Wattsburg Area School District Cell Phone Policy (2026)

Wattsburg Area School District in Erie County enrolled 1,260 students in 2024-25 according to federal data. Its high school, Seneca, banned phones for 2026-27.

Wattsburg Area phone rules today

GoErie reported on August 24, 2026 under the headline "Seneca bans cellphones, Wattsburg starts school with new superintendent." As summarized in search results, Seneca High School students turn off phones, earbuds and listening devices and put them in assigned lockers before homeroom, where they stay from 7:40 a.m. to 2:33 p.m., with emergencies handled through the school office. Students in kindergarten through grade 6 keep devices off in classroom storage. The board adopted the policy in June.

What Act 117 requires of Wattsburg 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	Wattsburg Area today	What changes by 2027-28
No student use for the whole school day, including homeroom, lunch, recess and passing time	7:40 a.m. to 2:33 p.m. at Seneca	Aligned with the whole-day rule.
The board decides how possession is restricted (taking phones is not required)	Assigned lockers; classroom storage K-6	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	Office handles emergencies	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	Board policy (June 2026)	Board policy posted, announced each year and verified to PDE.

Where LockedIn fits

Wattsburg now stores phones in lockers at the high school and classroom storage in the lower grades. LockedIn locks students' own phones from an admin dashboard with nothing to collect, and runs alongside storage for students who need a phone for an exception.

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 Erie

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