Penncrest approves student cellphone rule; handbook will require phones stored in lockers by homeroom

The Penncrest School District Board of School Directors approved an update to its acceptable-use policy and the 2025–26 handbooks that narrows classroom cellphone access and places explicit locker requirements on students.

At the Committee-of-the-Whole session, board members discussed enforcement options, discipline steps and building-level differences in cellphone use. The board approved policy 237 (Acceptable Use of Personally Owned Electronic Devices) and voted to adopt the 2025–26 handbooks; during discussion the board directed staff to revise the handbook language to require that phones be placed in lockers by the start of homeroom/first period. The revised handbook language will permit students to access phones upon arrival (before homeroom), in the cafeteria at lunch and at dismissal. Board members emphasized that progressive discipline is to be enforced and that repeated abuse will prompt tighter restrictions, up to a full ban if necessary.

Staff said the district has already taken technical steps to reduce classroom access by disabling student access to the district Wi‑Fi during the school day, and that the handbook will describe the procedure for progressive discipline. Administrators noted that some students rely on phones for family communications and that locker space and locker usage vary by building; the board asked principals and staff to monitor the rule’s implementation closely and return with data if the policy proves ineffective.

The board also approved an iPad loss-and-damage form intended to strengthen device accountability and recovery procedures.

Ending: The board left the policy framework in place while instructing staff to finalize handbook language and enforcement procedures before school begins; members said they would revisit the approach if violations or operational problems persist.