Public schools across New York are officially back in session, and along with the usual first-day excitement and jitters, students are also facing a major shift in classroom culture – a new bell-to-bell statewide cellphone ban.
At Mother Hale Academy PS 65X in Mott Haven, the school day now begins not just with morning announcements and classroom greetings, but also with students locking away their phones in secure pouches until the final bell rings.
The policy is part of a statewide cellphone ban that went into effect in May as part of Gov. Kathy Hochul’s $254 billion state budget. Gov, Hochul says the ban is meant to eliminate digital distractions and refocus classroom environments on learning…