Banning student use of cellphones in New York schools should be state call, Hochul says

New York's schools and teachers should not have to wrestle with what to do about student cellphone use in class, Gov. Kathy Hochul said Monday.

A statewide ban is a better approach, she said.

"It seems to me that a district-by-district approach does not work," she said. "Sometimes it's easy to blame the state of New York...I don't anticipate that a piecemeal approach will be my approach."

Hochul started a statewide listening tour Monday morning about the effect of smartphones in classrooms and described the phones as a clear distraction to students.

"It's impossible to ignore the reality that this generation, more than others, is being subjected to distractions that never existed," she said at Guilderland High School in the Capital Region.

While Hochul said she plans additional roundtables, and wants to listen to students, educators, parents and others, she sounded ready to act at a press conference.

"This will be discussed over a matter of months, but not much longer," she said.

In May, Hochul said she planned to introduce legislation in 2025.

Hochul likes the 'pouch' approach to cellphones

Hochul was enthusiastic Monday about a 2022 policy enacted by the Schoharie school district, west of Albany, that said students cannot use cellphones, smartwatches or even earbuds during the school day, but must put them in a Yondr Pouch provided by the school district. "(Students) are looking at each other at lunch and during study hall," she said.

But Hochul did not like school districts dealing with the issue one by one, preferring statewide action.

Many schools across New York have policies that address cellphone use. The state Education Department does not track such policies.

Hochul linked her interest in the issue to two new laws she signed last month that prohibit social media companies from using addictive feeds to hook kids and from collecting the personal data of minors.

Addressing the concerns of some parents that students need their cellphones in the event of an emergency, Hochul said “children are less safe in that environment when they are distracted by a cellphone instead of following the leaders who are trained to know what to do.”

NYSUT, the statewide teachers union, which supported the two new laws, also supports Hochul's efforts to consider statewide cellphone restrictions in schools, with local flexibility for implementation, NYSUT spokesperson Ben Amey said.

"One thing we definitely don't want is the decision being left up to individual teachers," Amey said. "Teachers want to teach. They don't want to be policing cell phones."

NYSUT and groups representing superintendents, school boards, administrators and parents are holding a major forum on Sept. 20 in Albany about the impact of cellphones and social media on children, schools and learning.