Will New York see statewide ban on smartphones in classrooms?

Lackawanna, N.Y. (WBEN) - The Lackawanna City School District has set a policy in place this upcoming school year that keeps middle and high schoolers' cell phones locked inside pouches from the time they first enter the school building up to when they leave after the final bell.

Superintendent of Schools Nadia Nashir says this comes after the district has tried various rules or methods to prevent students from being on their phones during instructional class time, citing the pocket-sized electronic devices were the No. 1 distraction in the classroom.

The announcement also comes following the beginning of Gov. Hochul's recent tour of New York Schools for speak with school officials on just how big of a problem smartphones are in class.

Not even a month ago in Western New York, Hochul travelled to Kenmore Junior Senior High School to discuss the dangerous, addictive use of smartphones in the classroom.

"My top priority is protecting New Yorkers and right now our kids need our help," Gov. Hochul said during her recent visit. "They are in a dark place, feeling depressed and anxious. We have to stop them from scrolling their lives away and get them back to experiencing the joy of being kids. Hearing from young people and educators will allow us to develop effective solutions to address this mental health crisis and deliver results for our kids and schools."

Is Hochul really considering legislation that would ban kids from using smartphones during class time?

State Sen. Sean Ryan wouldn't be surprised to see if there was drafted legislation in Albany come next legislative session.

"I'm confident the governor is going to send, what's called, a program bill, a bill from the Governor's Office for the legislature's review. I suspect that'll be something we take up in January," Sen. Ryan told WBEN on Monday.

Sen. Ryan was present at the roundtable discussion in Kenmore last month and noted there seems to be a consensus in New York State that technology has reached the point where it is more distracting than constructive when it comes to educating the youth in the classroom.

"I talked to several of my colleagues about it. It's one of these moments where it's kind of an 'a-ha' moment. Why didn't we do this earlier? But the problems with technology and cell phones has been a slow creep," Sen. Ryan said.

"At one point, we really encourage the use of technology, but more and more, that went from a helpful technology to a technology of distraction that had nothing to do with what's being presented or learned in school. And at the same time, the ages of children getting cell phones is becoming younger and younger, so a problem that wasn't a problem in the elementary schools is now a problem."

In several press conferences, Gov. Hochul alluded to potentially drafting legislation that would permit cell phones with only texting and calling capabilities.

New York State Senator Rob Ortt would appear to be in favor of leaving the cell phone policies to the local districts, he gave WBEN the following statement when asked for comment:

"Superintendents and school boards exist to make the best decisions for their students, parents, teachers, and staff – and the choice to ban phones in schools should be made by these leaders."

Gov. Hochul has recently put a high prioritization on addressing the mental health of the youth coming out of the pandemic. In the previous legislative session in Albany, she passed a law that curbs minors from viewing addictive social media algorithms, which also includes the prohibition of social media companies from selling their data.

Sen. Ryan realizes the no cell phones in schools debate goes beyond than just the phones being a distraction to students.

"You can see the problems with cell phones is multi-layered," he said. "Of course, primarily it's learning. But on top of that, it's really caused social problems within schools that both teachers and students are worried about being filmed and taped recorded. One moment of a faux pas, because something that could [be recorded can] make you a laughing stock of the school, [happening] all within the same school day, that's not how learning should be taking place. We need to have a disciplined, but forgiving environment."

The senator also notes if legislation is drafted by the next legislative session in January of next year, the prioritization for passage of the bill would be high.