New York State lawmakers and educators are hoping that the return to school next month will also usher in a new era of distraction-free learning.
Lawmakers in Albany passed a cell phone ban in May, one of the signature pieces of Gov. Kathy Hochul’s state budget. The statewide ban, which takes effect in September, prohibits students in K-12 public and charter schools from using their smartphones during the whole school day — a restriction known as a “bell-to-bell” ban.
Hochul, however, left the onus on each school or school district to draft their own policies for implementing and enforcing the new law.
School districts, as a result, worked to create smartphone policies. Both local districts — the Rye City School District and the Rye Neck Union Free School District — finalized their plans over the summer.
In Rye City schools, the policy is the toughest at the elementary school level, where students are strictly prohibited from bringing internet-capable devices to school at all. If a student brings one without proper authorization, it will be confiscated and only returned to a parent or guardian, according to the policy.
At the middle and high schools, devices must be on silent mode and stored in school lockers during the day. Any devices that are confiscated at the middle school by teachers or school officials may only be picked up by the student’s parent or guardian, the policy reads.
At the high school, however, students may use tablets or laptops during the day for “educational purposes.”
The policy also states that the district is not responsible for stolen, lost, or damaged devices brought to school.
New Rye City Schools Superintendent Patricia Murray said the district’s new bell-to-bell ban builds off existing cell phone restrictions in the district.
Murray has said she believes the new policy will create a healthier atmosphere.
“My thoughts on the cell phone ban goes back to our conversation on mental health,” Murray said. “That really is what drove that legislation. And so, I certainly understand the reasoning for it.”
In 2024, then-Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy called on Congress to require warning labels on social media because of its effects on kids. He also said schools need to provide periods of time where students are phone-free.
Rye Neck schools passed its policy on July 1, coinciding with new Superintendent Michael Burke’s first official day on the job.
“We’re ready to roll,” Burke told The Record.
Elementary school students in Rye Neck are “discouraged” from bringing devices to school, but the policy offers them some flexibility. If they do bring a smartphone, it must be silenced and stored all day in the student’s personal cubby, locker, or bag. Middle and high schoolers will have the option of storing their devices, which must also be on silent mode, in either their locker or their bags during the school day, according to the policy.
While Rye Neck high schoolers must also have their phones silenced and stored in their lockers, they may be able to bring approved personal wireless devices like tablets or laptops to school to use for educational purposes.
Burke said he thinks students will react well to the new policy, pointing to the success of a recent trial run in May, where about 75 percent of the high school’s students participated in an optional cell phone-free day.
“I was very impressed with that,” he said. “The students here are supportive of it.”
But Burke also recognized that the policy may need some re-working after school gets underway in a few weeks.
“We’re going to assess how it goes,” he said. “It’s a fluid situation.”
Enforcement provisions in both districts’ policies are similar — requiring that administrative staff be primarily responsible for enforcement, though all staff are expected to assist.
The consequences, however, vary slightly.
At Rye City schools, the first time students break the rule they will have their devices confiscated and returned at the end of the school day, the policy states. For subsequent offenses, the students’ parents may have to retrieve the devices, those devices may be held in the administrative office for the day or longer, or the students may be subjected to detention, in-school suspension, or exclusion from extracurricular activities, according to the policy.
School officials may also assign students who break the policy to do research “on the detrimental impact of social media on mental health, smartphones in school, or other relevant topics,” the policy reads.
Rye Neck’s policy doesn’t specify plans for confiscating devices, but also says students may be subjected to detention, in-school suspension, or exclusion from extracurricular activities.
Both policies state that parents or guardians may call their child’s school to reach them during the day as mandated by the state law.
The law also outlines some exceptions, such as if a smartphone is needed for educational purposes, to manage health, or for translation services.
The districts also plan to publish an annual report on enforcement of the bell-to-bell ban, including data on students who faced disciplinary action, without identifying those students. The report also will include an analysis of demographic disparities in enforcement, and if statistically significant, a plan for how to improve compliance going forward.
Rye City and Rye Neck classes are both scheduled to start on Sept. 2.
