Governor Kathy Hochul visited with local education leaders in Spencerport on Friday for a roundtable discussion on the statewide bell-to-bell ban on internet-enabled devices in schools.
A statewide ban on internet-enabled electronics during the school day takes effect this coming school year, and Hochul warned that parents and guardians should prepare for a potentially rough shift if students are grappling with screentime and social media addiction.
“This is going to be a huge transition for your children, enormous,” Hochul said. “If you're a smoker one day and the next day you don't have a pack of cigarettes, that's a rough time for you.”
Tom Putnam , superintendent of Monroe 2-Orleans BOCES, said the ban addresses harms like cyberbullying and social media addiction by limiting screentime during the school day.
“Our teachers and students know firsthand how phones can pull attention away from learning, break up conversations sometimes, even hurt grades and emotional wellbeing,” Putnam said.
School districts had until last week to submit their plans for how to meet the new state requirements to keep the devices out of classrooms.
The governor’s office said that, statewide, about 85% — or nearly 950 districts — have done so.
In Monroe County, the total was 78% — or 29 of 37 school districts, while across the nine-county Finger Lakes region, 83% of districts had plans submitted, state records show. In Erie County it was 84%, while Onondaga County stood at 90%.
For those that haven’t, Hochul said there is a grace period before the school year starts.
“I guarantee one year from now, we're going to have a healthier student body across the state of New York,” she said. “And ultimately, when they emerge into society, graduating from high school, they'll be more highly functioning adults.”
The roundtable included leaders from Monroe County School Boards Association, Monroe-2 Orleans BOCES, the Rochester City School District, Greece Central School District, Holley Central School District and Spencerport Central School District.
