This year, along with the $254 million state budget, the governor announced a new strategy to make classrooms distraction-free. This includes instituting a bell-to-bell ban on devices during the school day.
Starting in the 2025-26 academic year, there will be no use of smartphones and other Internet-enabled personal devices on school grounds for the entire school day, including classroom time and other settings like lunch and study hall periods. This applies to all schools in public school districts, as well as charter schools.
“School districts across New York are already showing us that bell-to-bell smartphone restrictions help deliver the best possible learning environments for our kids,” Hochul said. “As we prepare for the coming school year, my team is continuing to provide the necessary resources and tools to ensure school districts finalize and publish their distraction-free policy by the August 1 deadline.”
The governor pursued this initiative after engaging in a statewide tour with teachers, parents, and students, where it was reported that smartphones distract students and inhibit learning and creativity in schools.
This new website includes a policy FAQ, toolkit, and examples that school districts can use to design their distraction-free policy.
The original proposal allows schools to develop their own plans for storing smartphones during the day, giving administrators, parents and teachers the flexibility to do what works best for their students. The policies must include a way for parents to contact their children, exceptions for students who need devices for medical reasons or learning disabilities, to assist non-English language speakers, and a way to prevent inequitable discipline.
Hochul has also allocated $13.5 million in funding for schools that need phone storage solutions, including pouches, cubbies, or other classroom infrastructure.
Using the resources on this website, each school and district must publish its cellphone restriction policy by Aug. 1.
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