New York educators say school cellphone bans have been largely successful

Schools in New York are reporting success after the first year of implementing statewide bell-to-bell restrictions on cellphone use in the classroom.All Kindergarten through 12th grade schools were to implement those restrictions on phone use as of last September.Gov. Kathy Hochul said she wanted to focus on students’ mental health as well as improving their chances of success in school after hearing concerning stories from parents.”One mother told me a horrible story,” Hochul said. “I was up in the North Country and she said that she and her husband take shifts when her son arrives home from the school day because he’s so bullied during the day on his cellphone that he comes home at the end of the school day and they don’t know he won’t do something drastic.”On Monday, the governor’s office said that nearly 600 teachers and school administrators were surveyed statewide about the ban, including educators in the North Country. The report found that about 80% of those educators reported positive results.

NEW YORK —

Schools in New York are reporting success after the first year of implementing statewide bell-to-bell restrictions on cellphone use in the classroom.

All Kindergarten through 12th grade schools were to implement those restrictions on phone use as of last September.

Gov. Kathy Hochul said she wanted to focus on students’ mental health as well as improving their chances of success in school after hearing concerning stories from parents.

“One mother told me a horrible story,” Hochul said. “I was up in the North Country and she said that she and her husband take shifts when her son arrives home from the school day because he’s so bullied during the day on his cellphone that he comes home at the end of the school day and they don’t know [that] he won’t do something drastic.”

On Monday, the governor’s office said that nearly 600 teachers and school administrators were surveyed statewide about the ban, including educators in the North Country. The report found that about 80% of those educators reported positive results.