NEW: Nearly 150 New York school districts have submitted plans to implement smart-phone free learning environments

ALBANY, NY- Nearly 150 school districts across New York have submitted their plans to eliminate the use of smartphones in the classroom, with aims of enhancing the overall learning environment, according to a notice from the Governor’s office.

For context, August 1 is the deadline for such plans. “As August 1 approaches, more and more districts across New York are thinking creatively about how to implement a bell-to-bell smartphone restriction policy that works best for their unique school community,” Governor Kathy Hochul said.

“I encourage all schools to learn from these additional examples and resources on our website to develop a plan suited for their students, teachers and families by the deadline.”

Though each school district has the capability of creating a plan that works best for them, the general idea of this new policy is designed to eliminate smartphones and other like internet enabled devices on school grounds for the entire learning day.

Now if a situation arises where contact is necessary between a student and their parents and/or legal guardians, there are exceptions that will allow that to occur.

To clarify, students will still have authorized access to devices without internet capability for learning purposes and in some cases, students will have access to school provided laptops or tablets as part of lesson plans.

Governor Hochul pursued this initiative after engaging in a statewide listening tour with teachers, parents, and students. Her report “More Learning, Less Scrolling: Creating Distraction-Free Schools” underscores the following:

• Smartphones distract students and inhibit learning and creativity
• Phone-free environments do not compromise student safety
• Phone-free environments support the mental health of students and teachers
• Open communication and direct guidance for all stakeholders is key for successful implementation
• Schools must address any parent concerns about staying in contact with their children during the day
• An effective distraction-free policy must focus on the entire school day, rather than solely on time in the classroom
• Schools can strengthen their distraction-free environment by connecting more students with in-person engagement like clubs, sports, arts and other programming

Image via the office of New York Governor Kathy Hochul.