BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — School is out for thousands of New York students, but school districts have a big assignment on their plates this summer.
When the 2025-2026 school year begins in the fall, New York will become the largest state in the U.S. with a bell-to-bell ban on smartphones and other internet-enabled devices in K-12 schools. The ban applies to all schools statewide in public school districts, in addition to charter schools and Boards of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES).
The governor's office said New York School districts must finalize and publish their distraction-free policy by August 1, "so it is visible to the district’s community of students, parents and other key stakeholders."
Below are details of the distraction-free policy:
- Prohibits unsanctioned use of smartphones and other internet-enabled personal devices on school grounds in K-12 schools for the entire school day (from “bell to bell”), including classroom time and other settings like lunch and study hall periods
- Allows schools to develop their own plans for storing smartphones during the day — giving administrators and teachers the flexibility to do what works best for their buildings and students
- Secures $13.5 million in funding to be made available for schools that need assistance in purchasing storage solutions to help them go distraction-free
- Requires schools to give parents a way to contact their kids during the day when necessary
- Requires teachers, parents and students to be consulted in developing the local policy
- Prevents inequitable discipline
Students will have access to cellphones without internet capability and internet-enabled devices provided by their school for classroom instruction.
In addition, the governor's office said the policy includes several exemptions to smartphone restrictions, including for:
- Students who require access to an internet-enabled device to manage a medical condition, where required by a student's Individualized Education Program (IEP), for academic purposes, or for other legitimate purposes, such as translation, family caregiving and emergencies.
“I’ll never stop working to deliver the best results for our kids – and that’s why the era of smartphone distractions in New York schools ends today. My team is working with key stakeholders across the state to ensure school districts finalize and publish their distraction-free policy by the August 1 deadline. When students return this fall, New York’s distraction-free schools will deliver the best possible learning environments – and they’ll help give our kids their childhood back.”
The state has launched a website to provide resources to the districts as they prepare to implement the bell-to-bell cellphone ban policy. You can find the website here.
