The class ended when David Rounds heard a student yelling in the hallway. "Why the hell did you do that?" said the child. November has passed at Bethlehem Central High School outside Albany. Finally, the holidays came, when stress was highest, and tests and grades were approaching.

New York Governor Kathy Hochul.Photo byGovernor Kathy Hochul From Flickr

Our history teacher, Rounds, raced to the door. He noticed pals making fun of each other, as predicted. But that normalcy attracted his eye. Again, the youngsters were loud. "I saw it for the first time that day," remarked. People were laughing and talking in the corridor without phones or social media. It sounded like success to rounds.

Bethlehem Central had been eliminating almost all gadgets in schools for about four months at that point. They removed iPhones, speakers, smartwatches, and other things. A few years ago, when a class ended, students would walk through the halls with their heads down, glued to their phones. There was almost no noise. According to Rounds, teenagers who were not paying attention would sometimes walk into walls or even fall down stairs.

Complete Ban On Mobile Phones

Bethlehem Central is one of the few schools in New York State that has completely banned phones. There are 4,411 schools in the state. But it might not be so strange for much longer.

Gov. Kathy Hochul has been considering a new law that would keep most kids away from their phones and tablets during the school day. To figure out how to do it, she has been talking with school principals, teachers, union leaders, and local politicians all over the state.

If a law passes—which could happen as soon as next year—it would be a massive win for a cause that wasn't very popular in politics not long ago. For the first time since she took over for Andrew Cuomo, it is also a big bet on what the people of New York, especially the parents, want from their governor.