On May 6, New York State Governor Kathy Hochul announced a statewide smartphone ban in K-12 schools effective this fall, causing a stir amongst affected students and teachers alike. The ban, applicable to public schools, charter schools, and BOCES institutions, was described by Hochol as “bell-to-bell.” This means that the law forbids the use of smartphones at any point during the day on campus– including lunch periods and study halls. However, at Haldane, juniors and seniors leave campus during lunch, and High School principal Julia Sniffen reported that Haldane is “leaning towards” allowing juniors and seniors to take their phones if they are going off-campus at lunch and giving all students back their phones at 2:15.
This new law, though referred to as a smartphone ban, is not limited to smartphones. The ban extends to all personal devices that connect to the internet, including tablets, personal computers, and smartwatches. However, the law excludes devices necessary for medical reasons, IEP requirements, or translations. The law also excludes school-issued devices and any personal devices that do not connect to the internet, such as a simple flip phone. As this is a funded state mandate, $13.5 million has been allocated to assist schools in adjusting to this change. High School Principal Sniffen does not yet know how much Haldane will be receiving from the state for this ban, nor how much Haldane will be spending itself. Schools must come up with their own methods of ensuring students stay off their phones during the school day– and must also ensure that students have a way to contact their parents should they need to.
The school has been considering ways Haldane can comply with the law this coming fall. “It’s going to be a challenge,” Sniffen stated. “We’re going to need parental support.” Sniffen said that one of the solutions considered–telling parents to keep their children’s phones at home–could pose a problem. Parents need to be able to communicate with their children, particularly when it comes to after-school activities and scheduling. “So are we now putting multiple phones in the hallways, landlines, for people to call home?” Sniffen said that this would present an issue for Haldane, which is still dependent on a limited number of analog landlines. A more feasible solution Haldane will likely implement, according to Sniffen, is making arrangements so that students can receive emails from email accounts outside of the school network while on their school devices. This would ensure parents can contact their child during school hours by emailing them at their school address; or, if urgent, they could call the school office.
As for securing the smartphones themselves during the school day, Sniffen said one solution they are considering is the Yondr Pouch, a system utilized by many schools that have already implemented a ban. It uses magnetic, locking pouches that students would place their phones into at the beginning of the day. However, Sniffen expressed reservations about the additional logistics and time needed to manage and administer the pouch system. In addition to navigating different concerns about the ban implementation, Sniffen is also conflicted about its effects, especially on older students. “When kids leave us as seniors,” Sniffen began, “there’s a lot of things we hope that they learn, and that they grow from, and that they become independent at doing, whether it’s driving; a lot of self-care; hygiene; decision making; balancing work, life, leisure, jobs; and balancing their phone use.” She said she is in support of a phone ban for grades up until junior year, but fears that juniors and seniors won’t learn how to regulate their phone usage independently with this new law in place. She would prefer that the ban become less restrictive as students become more mature and can handle more responsibility, similar to the off-campus lunch privileges enjoyed by Haldane juniors and seniors. “I don’t know that between the ages of 14 and 18, the rule needs to be the same, if I was in charge of the law,” Sniffen concluded, “but I won’t break the law.” Sniffen also stated that she does feel smartphone usage is a serious problem for adolescents, and she “looks forward” to “less distraction from phones,” as well as seeing “even more interaction” between students at lunch and study halls. She hopes that this ban will improve Haldane students’ engagement and socialization.
Haldane students’ opinions on the ban are also conflicted. “It’s kind of a good idea,” began sophomore Julian Constantine. “Banning phones so kids pay more attention in class, and don’t cheat and stuff… But banning it for all sorts of things? What happens if a kid has an emergency? Like a personal emergency.”
“I think that the withdrawal will certainly be difficult for students,” commented sophomore Dessa Bellamy Tarantino. “But ultimately, a phone ban is going to have benefits. …Me, personally, I don’t actually bring my phone to school, and I’ve found that [this] certainly helps me not be distracted.”
In late May, the Haldane administration conducted an email survey of parents and students. Sniffen recalled that approximately 20% of the over 90 respondents were in favor of the ban, while approximately 5-10% thought that the state should not interfere in schools in this manner.
The Outlook also conducted a survey of Haldane students and teachers via a Google form made available through QR codes posted in the hallways and via email, which garnered responses from 28 students and three teachers. In the Outlook survey, 75% of all respondents reported that they did not support the ban, while 12.9% reported that they did, and an equal 12.9% reported that they were conflicted.
One freshman, Frederica Geppner, expressed an opinion similar to Sniffen’s. “I believe that learning self-control at school can help students in their future workplace,” Geppner wrote. “The school is meant to prepare students for life, and being conscious about cellphone use is an important part of that in modern-day life.”
Sophomore Clara Gelber expressed a supportive opinion. “I feel like phones should be banned because they are huge distractions and prevent students from talking to each other during lunch,” she responded.
“People are remarkably good at being distracted if they want to,” wrote junior Seth Lunin-Pack in his disagreement with the ban. “The people who use their phones in class won’t magically become interested in their classes if their phones are taken away; they’ll just start doing something else. …If you put an average person in a white room where they could only watch their least favorite class, they would probably start hallucinating before the period ends.”
Three teachers also participated in the survey: math teacher PJ Keating and English teachers Kathleen DeSocio and Ashley Linda. DeSocio voiced her disagreement with the ban. “The issue can be managed without a government-involved ban,” she wrote. “Considerations of the perspectives and needs of families, students, and schools should be worked out among the parties involved. Ultimately, it’s an example of government overreach.”
Linda supported the ban. “Evidence shows that students are attached to their phones in an unhealthy way,” Linda stated. “Constant cell phone and app use have [led] to social and emotional problems in teens. These apps are designed to be addictive, so willpower is not enough to break bad habits.”
Keating also supported the ban, writing that his reasoning was for “focus/lack of distraction through the school day.”
This new restriction will certainly be an adjustment for Haldane students. However, Sniffen believes that Haldane will have an easier time adjusting when compared to most schools, especially those in the city, and expressed faith in Haldane students’ ability to comply and adapt to the new regulations. She is drafting an official school response to this ban, including details on how Haldane will enforce it. She hopes that local law enforcement will also soon make a statement regarding how they will work with Haldane to enforce this new law. Sniffen hopes to solidify the school plan before the end of the year.
