As part of the $254 billion state budget passed in May, New York implemented a statewide “bell-to-bell” ban on cellphones and other devices to create a distraction-free environment in schools.
“That means during class, at lunch, in the hallways, our kids will finally be free from the endless interruptions of social media and all the mental health pressures that come along with it,” Hochul said at the time.
Personal electronic devices that have been banned during the school day include:
The state policy clarifies that students will have authorized access to simple cellphones without Internet capability. They also may use Internet-enabled devices officially provided by their school for classroom instruction, such as laptops or tablets used as part of lesson plans.
There are some exceptions that allow students to carry their personal cellphones, such as: an authorization by the school principal for a specific educational purpose; when necessary to monitor a medical condition; for a student caregiver who is responsible for a family member; and where required by law. Devices may also be permitted where such use is included for students who have an IEP or 504 plan for medical or education purposes.
Schools may also authorize student use of personal Internet-enabled electronic devices in the event of an individual student emergency where the parent has notified the school of the nature of the emergency; and for translation and interpretation services if other means are unavailable.
The state provided schools flexibility in how they implemented the ban, giving each school and district until August 1 to devise a plan by the start of the 2025-2026 school year.
In July, New York City announced that each public school in the city must establish its own written policy regarding the use of electronic devices on school property to be in place by the first day of classes for the 2025-2026 academic year, with the policy posted on the school’s website.
A month later, the state launched a new website for parents and students to look up their school’s plan to implement the state cellphone ban before the start of the new school year.
The website, ny.gov/phonefree, allows New Yorkers to search by district or school name to learn more about the rules at their children’s schools.
In New York City, schools must provide at least one method for storage of devices, which may include school storage lockers, assigned student lockers or other holders.
Storage may vary depending on your individual school’s policy.
Some schools on Staten Island are using pouches that have velcro or locked closures, like Yondr pouches or Cyber Pouches. Such pouches are either stored in a student’s backpack throughout the school day, or collected by school staff for storage each day.
All policies include at least one method for parents to contact a student during the school day, such as a direct phone number to the school. You’ll need to check with your school for more specific information pertaining to contacting your child if there is an emergency, such as calling the main number, or using an application that sends notifications, or other options.
Students who use electronic devices are subject to progressive discipline in accordance with interventions and disciplinary responses in the city’s Discipline Code. A student cannot be suspended on the sole grounds that the student accessed a device in violation of school policy.
If a school confiscates a device for violation, the school will contact the student’s parent.
On the first day of classes in September, the Advance/SILive.com sent a team of reporters to various schools across Staten Island to ask parents and students how they felt about the phone ban.
Sarah Estevez, a parent of third-grader and sixth-grader at PS/I.S. 26, and a high school senior at CSI High School for International Studies, said her two youngest didn’t have a phone, but said that it might be a good thing for her high schooler.
“I think they’ll concentrate a lot better in school. I think they want us to contact the school and reach out to them if we need something,” said Estevez. “It is inconvenient though because it’s easier to text my child if I need to pick them up earlier.”
Some parents expressed concern about the ban, especially when it comes to emergency situations.
Adrienne Cowhig, who has a fourth-grader at PS 29 in Castleton Corners, said kids shouldn’t be able to use cellphones during school but should “still have access.”
“As far as I understand it, they have a pouch that they put their Internet-enabled devices in and then they lock them away,” said Cowhig. ”But they’re still allowed for emergencies to have flip phones, so as long as they don’t mess with that, that’s OK. And as long as they’re able to get it back if the kids have practice after school, like during that time, then that’s fine too.”
While Catholic and private schools technically are not required by state law to ban cellphones and other devices, many have their own cellphone policies for students.
“I’m not for that,” said Rosalia Soland after dropping her children off at St. Teresa-St. Rita STREAM Academy in Castleton Corners. “[Collecting cellphones] defies the purpose, especially with what’s going on in the world. Most parents, like myself, I give them the cell phone in case there’s an emergency.”
She added: “So if an emergency does happen, the fact that they have the cell phones really limits the capabilities of children — especially at my kid’s age who’s like a mini teenager — to call the cops and take precautions. So I’m not 100 percent for it,” she continued.
In October, Schools Chancellor Melissa Aviles-Ramos fielded questions about the new rules at a town hall event at the Michael J. Petrides School campus in Sunnyside.
Citing safety concerns, parents from Petrides and Tottenville High School questioned if the chancellor would advocate for a revised cellphone policy that would allow limited use during lunch hours and passing periods.
The chancellor quickly pointed out that the law already allows for exceptions to the ban, if warranted based on a student’s situation.
Aviles-Ramos also expressed a belief that a push to outright amend the policy and allow phones in passing could lead to “inequities in the system,” as some schools are better equipped to handle it than others.
“To go lobby the state for more flexibility around this, in a school district this size — and I don’t mean Staten Island, I mean every 1,600+ schools — that would actually create more chaos and probably bring us back to where we were before," the chancellor said.
© 2025 Staten Island Advance, N.Y. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
