N.Y. Gov. Hochul once again eyes student cell phone restrictions for next school year, report says

According to Newsday, Governor Kathy Hochul is considering limiting cell phones in New York state classrooms for the upcoming academic year.

The governor recently met with education advocates to discuss a proposal that would forbid kids from using cell phones in class, according to representatives of the Teachers Union and the Parent Teacher Association (PTA), who spoke to the media source.

According to Newsday, Hochul will probably make the announcement during his January State of the State address.

According to Newsday, if approved, the prohibition would begin in the 2025–2026 academic year. Officials from the union and PTA told Newsday that they discussed with the governor the possibility of granting districts local authority over the enforcement of the ban. Cell phone pouches and dedicated lockers are a couple of possible options.

There have been rumors of Holul imposing cell phone bans in schools as early as this year.

In an interview with The Guardian in May, Hochul stated that she intended to present a measure this year that would outlaw smartphones in classrooms. If approved, children would be permitted to carry cell phones rather than smartphones that only have text messaging capabilities but no internet access.

It coincides with a number of state officials’ efforts to protect kids from social media and its negative effects on young people’s mental health.

In an appearance with MSNBC, Hochul highlighted the social media addiction that is afflicting kids and teens across the state and nation.

Hochul remarked, “I’m telling, leave our kids alone,” in the MSNBC interview. Allow them to mingle. They can quit doing this and chat to their pals. Stop using our children’s personal information for your own commercial benefit. Additionally, parents ought to be able to switch it off at midnight so that the children can sleep till six in the morning, as they would otherwise be spending the entire night here and be fatigued.

According to Hochul, pupils might still have a flip phone that would save them from clicking on social networking sites, but would still allow parents to text their kids.

However, Hochul continued, “I think talking to my parents, who I already have, is something they would welcome.” Instead of being enslaved by this force, they want their children to be children once more. Go back to being a child.

Additionally, New York City has been considering banning cell phones from public schools. According to Chalkbeat, a number of public school principals received briefings in July regarding the potential change, which might take effect in February.

According to Chalkbeat, schools would have to establish their own rules, such as requiring students to turn in their phones at the beginning of the school day or to keep them in a pouch from the time of arrival until dismissal.

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