Wednesday, Gov. Kathy Hochul called for statewide standards to ensure distraction-free schools and New York educators are abuzz.
New York is the latest state to support distraction-free learning; California, Florida, Ohio, Virginia, Indiana, Louisiana, Minnesota, and South Carolina have already enacted measures that limit student cellphone use during the school day, and 15 more states have legislation pending.
“Today marks a pivotal step in our push to create distraction-free learning environments, ensuring our schools are sanctuaries for learning, growth and genuine connection,” said NYSUT President Melinda Person. “This movement is growing larger and stronger every day, and has brought together parents, teachers, law enforcement, and local officials who all recognize the crucial importance of giving children a school day free from the pressures of social media and other distractions.”
The proposed legislation, which Hochul said was the result of countless conversations with educators, parents and students, calls for “bell to bell” cellphone restrictions, with approved exceptions for health and instructional purposes.
“Let’s recognize the fact that all across America, a war is being waged for our children’s minds. It’s that profound. Kids are being besieged with addictive algorithms, toxic social media, and cellphones can be so manipulative, that it becomes addictive like a drug,” said Hochul. “These young people, they’re calling for help, and as the adults in the room, as the policymakers, it’s our job to pick up that call.”
The governor also announced $13.5 million in grant funding for districts to purchase phone storage and other equipment to ensure compliance.
Numerous New York school districts have already taken steps to limit student cellphone use, and the benefits of those measures are apparent, said Person.
Last year, Poughkeepsie City School District implemented an ‘away for the day’ policy at the middle and high school. "It has been absolutely wonderful not having to constantly police student cellphone usage and focus on teaching while our students focus on learning,” said Kimberly Popken, president of the Poughkeepsie Public School Teachers Association. “It is also great to see students interacting with each other instead of their phones."
The Gloversville Enlarged School District enacted a cellphone policy earlier this year, and members say the measure has improved the learning environment for their students.
“The cellphone policy has been great this year. It has made a huge difference in the classroom and building as a whole,” said Todd Stoller, Gloversville TA. Stoller said that students who violate the policy have immediate consequences, and that the cellphone policy actually helped reduce student behavior problems. “There is far less drama and discipline-related issues,” he said.
Lackawanna City School District also began limiting student cellphone use this year. Prior to implementing the new policy, the district hosted a series of town hall meetings for parents and guardians, where some expressed concern about not being able to contact their kids during the day. In response, the district made provisions to ensure that parents and children can speak to one another when they need to, and that has been working well, said Michael Popek, president of the Lackawanna Federation of Teachers. “Some of the parents were opposed to it at first, but here we are in January, and I’ve heard no complaints from them,” said Popek. “I would say any that were opposed to it have certainly come around.”
Lackawanna administrators, educators and students will be talking about their experiences and sharing best practices at an upcoming Disconnected conference in Western New York on Feb. 13. The conference is one of five Disconnected events that NYSUT is hosting this winter to help districts create their own distraction-free policies.
Wednesday, districts who had not yet established cellphone policies said the proposed legislation would help them usher in a new era at their schools.
“I am over the moon excited that Governor Hochul is taking a leadership role in banning cellphones,” said Dan Wagner, second vice president of the East Greenbush TA. Wagner said East Greenbush has a cellphone ban at the middle school, and that educators, having witnessed the benefits of this policy, have been trying to get a similar policy implemented at the high school. This new proposal takes the burden off teachers and ensures all students have equal access to distraction-free schooling, he said.
“As an educator, it is a constant distraction. It is a daily battle,” Wagner said. “If it is away ... that makes it easier to educate and that’s what we want to do.”
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