Wellsboro Area School District Cell Phone Policy (2026)

Wellsboro Area School District in Tioga County enrolled 1,372 students in 2024-25 according to federal data. Its board adopted a new device policy in October 2026.

Wellsboro Area phone rules today

Tioga Publishing reported on October 15, 2026 that the board unanimously approved the second reading and adoption of Policy 237 on electronic devices at its October 13 meeting, right after a high school student asked it to clarify the rules. Emily Reese, a crossing guard, said she was first told she could use her phone after signing out to call for a ride, then told she could not use it in the office, and that a phone could be taken if staff saw its outline in clothing or a backpack. She said the handbook wording changed after school started, and that students were told to keep phones in lockers even though not all high school students have one.

What the student asked for

Reese asked for "a common sense, legal option to remove phones from the classroom, but allow students to use them for responsible purposes such as communicating with parents, employers or caregivers of younger siblings." The same night, a former board member urged the board to keep cyberbullying victims in mind.

What Act 117 requires of Wellsboro 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	Wellsboro Area today	What changes by 2027-28
No student use for the whole school day, including homeroom, lunch, recess and passing time	New Policy 237 (Oct. 2026)	Confirm it covers the whole day, including lunch and passing.
The board decides how possession is restricted (taking phones is not required)	Lockers, though not every student has one	Aligned on method, but every student needs a place to store a phone.
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	Policy 237 (adopted Oct. 13, 2026)	Board policy posted, announced each year and verified to PDE.

Where LockedIn fits

Wellsboro's rule depends on lockers that not every student has. LockedIn locks students' own phones from an admin dashboard with nothing to collect, so a phone in a pocket or backpack is still locked, and the rule reads the same in August as in October.

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 Wellsboro

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