Next school year, schools are going back to the old-fashioned way, where students can only talk, not text, and parents have to call the office to contact their child.
Pouches for phones have already been ordered for Cortland Junior Senior High School, said Superintendent Bob Edwards.
“Phones go in them, and then are magnetically sealed, and unsealed at the end of the day,” Edwards said.
Gov. Kathy Hochul has introduced her plan to create distraction-free schools in the 2026 Executive Budget Proposal. The proposal restricts students from using cell phones throughout the entire school day, including in the classroom, lunch and study halls.
State lawmakers will need to come to an agreement regarding this proposal, and the many others included in Hochul’s budget by April 1. It would be implemented in the 2025-26 school year in all public school districts, charter schools and Boards of Cooperative Educational Services.
The proposed mandate is not that different from the existing phone policy at McGraw Central School District, said High School Principal Mark Dimorier.
“Our students can have a phone throughout the school day, however, they can only have it out during lunch and between passing bells,” Dimorier said. “They are not allowed to have it out during study hall or during class, unless they’re utilizing it for a calculator or something like that.”
There have been very few incidents of students using their phones during class, McGraw Superintendent Troy Bilodeau said.
“You have a handful of kids who really seem to struggle with putting down the phone, but for the most part, we’ve been pretty fortunate,” Dimorier said.
“We are very excited about it,” Edwards said. “I hear, both in the news and anecdotally from other school districts, that once the transition happens, some of the distractions that can come from cell phones and social media go away, which really helps kids to be kids, and helps kids focus on learning.”
Schools can each create their own implementation plan. The proposed budget allocates $13.5 million for pouches, cubbies or other phone storage devices.
“From parents and teachers, to social justice and law enforcement leaders, New Yorkers agree that our young people succeed when they’re learning and growing, not clicking and scrolling,” Hochul said in a release.
“I think it would be a welcome change,” Bilodeau said. “One of the goals, I think, would be to get kids to unplug and be engaged in the school day; in their classes and in the instruction. I think this would really help do that.”
Students would still be able to use phones that have no internet capability, and internet-enabled devices provided by the school for instruction, the release said.
Exemptions would be allowed for students who use smartphones to manage a medical condition, require one for their Individualized Education Program, or need it for an academic reason, such as translation, the release said.
“The use of mobile phones by students during a quickly developing school emergency is a distraction that could compromise the safety of students and school staff,” said New York State Police Superintendent Steven James in the release.
Schools will also have to create a system for parents to be able to contact their children during the school day. At McGraw, this system is already in place. It’s “the old-fashioned way,” Dimorier said.
“They can already call the main office, relay messages, or have them come down to talk,” Bilodeau said.
