Gov. Kathy Hochul backed a statewide ban on the use of cellphones and other devices during the school day as part of her budget proposal Tuesday — saying, after a statewide series of roundtable discussions, she decided the move was necessary to help students learn, and to protect their mental health.

“By the start of the next school year, every student will be required to disconnect from their devices during the school hours — bell to bell. That means during class, at lunch, in the hallways, our kids will finally be freed from the endless disruptions of social media and all the mental health pressures that come from it,” Hochul said.


What You Need To Know

  • The governor is proposing a ban on the use of cellphones in schools across the state

  • At least 350 schools in the city already restrict the use of cellphones 

  • Logistical questions remain about how each school would handle the new policy

Her proposal goes beyond many existing policies for phones, says David Bloomfield, an education professor at Brooklyn College and the CUNY Graduate Center.

“This is a political imperative for the governor. Everybody is calling for some solution to students and children’s addiction to cell phones. It’s a lot more prescriptive than I would have thought. This idea of bell to bell is a little bit more than many schools currently require,” Bloomfield said, noting many schools allow students to use their phones at lunch or during free periods.

Hochul said there would be exceptions for students who need devices for medical reasons, to assist with learning difficulties or to help with language translation.

“Schools will have flexibility in how they implement this. Districts can just decide how they want to store devices. Many are already doing it,” Hochul said.

As of last September, 350 New York City public schools already banned the use of phones; another 500 were considering adopting bans this year, the education department said at the time. There are about 1,800 schools serving about 900,000 students in the city, and there are about 2.5 million public school students statewide, not including charters.

The ban will present logistical and financial challenges for some schools. Many use what are called Yondr pouches, a case with a magnetic lock, to prevent students from using devices during the day. But those can cost $25 to $30 a student.

“The state will provide financial support for this transition,” Hochul said.

Hochul’s budget calls for $13.5 million to help schools statewide enact the policy.

“It sounds like a lot of money, 13 and a half million dollars. Of course, we’re going to see what the legislature has to say about that, but it doesn’t meet the cost of pouches if all 2.5 million public school students have to get these pouches,” Bloomfield said.