SALAMANCA — Earlier in July, Governor Kathy Hochul highlighted growing momentum for New York’s implementation of distraction-free schools this fall, reporting nearly 150 of the 700 school districts statewide had submitted their plans for bell-to-bell smartphone restrictions in advance of the state’s Aug. 1 deadline.

This wave of early submissions came just one week after the state Education Department (NYSED) sent a survey prompting school district leaders to send in their district’s distraction-free policy by Aug. 1, in accordance with state law.

“As Aug. 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,” the governor said.

These early submissions also came following Hochul’s launch of a state website for distraction-free schools, which provides a policy FAQ, external informational toolkit and other resources to help districts as they finalize their policy.

“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,” she added.

This new requirement will take place in the 2025–26 school year and applies to all schools in public school districts, as well as charter schools and Boards of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES).

Dr. Mark Beehler

The Salamanca City Central School District has generally been cell phone free for over a year, according to Dr. Mark Beehler, district superintendent. Students at the Seneca Intermediate and High School buildings have been required to keep phones and other devices in their lockers, he said.

“Over the past month, the district began the process of updating existing policy and our Code of Conduct to comply with state requirements,” he explained. “While some parents have expressed concerns about contacting students, most community forums have been poorly attended. In our case, this does not result in a significant change of practice.”

Beehler said there is a significant body of research showing that distractions in the learning environment are detrimental to focus and attention, which is why Salamanca has an existing practice of limiting or prohibiting cell phones in classrooms.

“These new mandated restrictions further our existing practice,” he said, “which has been beneficial in reducing misbehaviors and improving student engagement.”

However, Beehler said the drawback is the restrictions on professional judgment that educators currently benefit from. He said this new legislation is very restrictive and requires additional resources to be expended to monitor and report on compliance to state agencies.

“In general, I believe this is another example of state governmental overreach into what should be locally decided practice,” he added. “Local school districts must comply with and report to many larger governmental agencies, which limits the decision-making abilities to determine what is best for our students locally.”

Additionally, Beehler said each regulation or new law comes with a plethora of monitoring and reporting requirements that drain resources and distract from the focus on teaching and learning that schools should have. He asserted that schools should have the ability to teach students proper use of technology and permit students to exercise such learning.

“In this case, simply banning the use of a very powerful tool does not improve the proper use of phones and social media, which is a significant problem for students — and many adults — in and out of school,” he said. “It is difficult to argue the need for a distraction-free learning environment but how that happens should be left to local districts to determine what works best for their needs.”