Cellphone ban a time to learn for schools, students

By now, just about every educator, child psychologist and parent agrees that students shouldn’t have unfettered access to their cellphones during class. And just about every kid in New York knows the cellphone ban is about to drop with the pomp of a research paper assignment.

Gov. Kathy Hochul’s ban on cellphones in schools was adopted by the state in May and goes into effect in the upcoming 2025-26 school year, and the state launched a website linking to every school district’s policy. Cellphones interfere with learning, and the State Legislature was right to adopt a statewide ban while giving districts from Buffalo to Bridgehampton local control of its enactment.

The ban prohibits public school students from using personal internet-enabled devices from "bell-to-bell" but there are exceptions for medical reasons, individualized learning plans or translation services. Kids can’t be suspended for using their phones, but they can face detention and in-school suspension. Plus, students can be disciplined for related behaviors like insubordination or being late to class. It’s a narrow path districts will have to navigate.

Support for cellphone bans during class is broad. A July 2025 Pew Research Center study found 3 in 4 adults favor bans, while a 2024 National Education Association study found 90% of teachers support them.

At least 53 of Long Island’s 124 districts adopted the boilerplate "Policy 5695” from the New York State School Boards Association, and most of the rest have adopted similar versions. A handful of districts either don’t have a policy yet or the policy is not available online or easy to find. Others embed the policy in the student manual or code of conduct, while a few districts posted letters to the community explaining the policy. Some policies are a page, others over 20 pages.

It can be confusing. Each district must ensure every parent and student knows before the school year starts what is expected. A parent shouldn’t have to scour a website or policy manual to figure out where their kid must keep their phone during school.

A handful of issues will likely arise in September: Will requiring parents to pick up a confiscated cellphone reduce noncompliance, — or just inconvenience parents? How will schools react to kids sneaking their phones into class? Will other negative behaviors increase? And how will schools handle a kid who takes advantage of a legitimate exception to instead check social media during class?

The cellphone ban rollout will entail a learning curve. District leaders will need to confer with each other and their communities to revise their policies. Parents and residents will want to know whether kids learn more or misconduct increases.

The purpose is to improve learning by keeping kids off their cellphones during school. If the ban is properly implemented across the state and Long Island, most students will realize the benefits.