With Gov. Kathy Hochul’s announcement last month of a $13.5 million investment in creating smartphone-free public K-12 schools, an already-growing trend will go statewide at the start of the 2025-26 school year. But how will that work in local school districts remains to be seen.
Hochul announced the new bell-to-bell restrictions at a May 6 press conference, linking the move to continue pushing for distraction-free campuses with efforts to support youth mental health and academic success.
“New York was the first state to target addictive social media feeds — and now we’re the largest state to restrict smartphones in schools throughout the entire school day,” said Hochul. “Our young people succeed when they’re learning and growing, not clicking and scrolling, and that’s why New York continues to lead the nation in protecting kids in the digital age.”
The $13.5 million is part of the fiscal year 2026 state budget, and is earmarked to assist schools in implementing secure storage solutions. As of press time there are still no details about how districts can meet the requirements of the plan, how initial funding will be distributed, or whether there will be money set aside in future budgets to help maintain and upgrade the programs.
At the press conference, Hochul and other proponents of the program stood beside a table with different options that have already been used in schools, including classroom-based boxes and hanging organizers similar to those found inside closet doors to keep shoes from piling up. They also had a Yondr pouch, a proprietary sealable system that is used at concerts, corporate events and currently, at secondary schools in the Kingston City School District. The latter’s startup costs of $60,000 may at least be partly scaled against the relative size of other school district.
At the start of the 2023-24 school year, students at Kingston High School and both J. Watson Bailey and M. Clifford Miller middle schools were given Yondr pouches to bring with them to school. Upon arrival they unlock their pouch using a Yondr unlocking base, insert their phone, then re-lock the pouch. They carry the pouch with them during the school day and can unlock it at the end of the school day.
Each of the three schools using the Yondr system have delineated spaces in administrative and nurses’ offices where students can unlock their phones if they need to contact their parents or guardians. Students who use their phones for medical reasons will have different pouches allowing them access when needed.
Yondr pouches were provided to KCSD students free of charge, but replacement pouches cost $20. If students are seen with phones outside of their pouches during school, their phones will be confiscated and disciplinary procedures could follow.
In Kingston, the program experienced growing pains, with students stuck in long lines at the start and end of the school day as they accessed the unlocking bases; some parents shared safety concerns about connecting with students in an emergency situation. But educators and students alike have also touted the cell-phone-free environment and its impact not only on academics, but also social interactions.
Hochul and champions of the bell-to-bell ban like New York State United Teachers see these gains possible in every school in the state. The initiative will restrict smartphones and other internet-enabled personal devices on school grounds during the entire day, including during lunch and study periods. Schools will be required to provide a system that enables parents to reach children when necessary. And there will be flexibility in applying the ban for medical needs, IEPs and academic purposes.
“This isn’t about being anti-phone or anti-technology,” said NYSUT President Melinda Person. “It’s about being pro-childhood. We’re giving students seven hours a day free from distractions so they can focus on learning, access their creativity, and make real human connections. Tackling social media and technology use as a public health issue will take continued partnership, education and courage, and New York is ready to lead the way.”
While Kingston already has its own program in secondary schools, other local districts were either already discussing establishing their own restrictions, or have smaller-scale options in place. Two superintendents mentioned Jonathan Haidt’s 2024 book The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness as a critical source on the importance of banning smartphones on school campuses.
The policy committee of the Saugerties Central School District has been working for several months on enacting its own restriction. At a June 10 school board meeting, the electronics policy had its first reading, and the district plans to follow the KCSD in using the Yondr system, with students required to store phones, earbuds and smart watches from the start of the school day until they leave campus.
“Once the (state) legislation was released, we reviewed the stated requirements with our draft policy,” said SCSD Superintendent Daniel Erceg. “We had to refine our draft policy to ensure we met the state requirements.”
Erceg said smartphones and the urge to check social media can be distracting, can enable bullying and can have deleterious effects on mental health.
“In September, our junior high prohibited cell phones during the day,” Erceg said. “Our junior high students have done amazingly, and students are talking to each other face to face versus texting across the lunch table.”
The New Paltz Central School District was already planning to expand its own policy for the coming school year.
“We have had a long standing electronic device ban in our elementary and middle schools,” said NPCSD Superintendent Stephen Gratto. “In fall 2025, we will be implementing a similar bell-to-bell ban on electronic devices in the high school.”
Onteora Central School District Superintendent Victoria McLaren said the district instituted its own bell-to-bell ban last September, and though they don’t use a system like Yondr, they recently expanded their own policy to restrict use during the entire school day.
“This was a step up from the prior school year at the high school level, when students were not allowed to use them during instructional time, but had been allowed during passing time and during lunch,” McLaren said. “The governor’s smartphone ban will not change our practice, but will reinforce it.”
As in the KCSD, the OCSD feels their own policy has had a positive impact.
“Since implementing this enhanced practice this year, we have witnessed students being more engaged with each other and enjoying time together,” she said.“I believe that everyone has been impacted by smart devices and that we all need to be mindful of maintaining human connection and attention.”
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