As school districts across New York prepare for the enactment of a statewide bell-to-bell smartphone ban for the coming school year, a new website provides resources for districts to design their distraction-free policy. Governor Kathy Hochul says the site includes a policy FAQ, toolkit and examples that districts can use to design their policy, which must be published by August 1st under state law. This new requirement applies to all schools in public school districts, as well as charter schools and Boards of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES).
The state's new smartphone policy creates a statewide standard for distraction-free schools in New York, including:
- Prohibiting unsanctioned use of smartphones and other internet-enabled personal devices on school grounds in K-12 schools for the entire school day (from "bell to bell"), including classroom time and other settings like lunch and study hall periods.
- Allowing schools to develop their own plans for storing smartphones during the day -- giving administrators and teachers the flexibility to do what works best for their buildings and students.
- Securing $13.5 million in funding to be made available for schools that need assistance in purchasing storage solutions to help them go distraction-free.
- Requiring schools to give parents a way to contact their kids during the day when necessary.
- Requiring teachers, parents and students to be consulted in developing the local policy.
- Preventing inequitable discipline.
Hochul's policy clarifies that students will have authorized access to simple cell phones without Internet capability, as well as Internet-enabled devices officially provided by their school for classroom instruction, such as laptops or tablets used as part of lesson plans. Her policy also includes several exemptions to smartphone restrictions, including for students who require access to an Internet-enabled device to manage a medical condition, where required by a student's Individualized Education Program (IEP), for academic purposes, or for other legitimate purposes, such as translation, family caregiving and emergencies.
Yondr pouches used as part of Dunkirk High School's smartphone restrictions. File photo
