NEW YORK (PIX11)—While state legislative leaders and Governor Hochul haven’t reached an agreement on a statewide school ban yet, some local public charter schools have begun implementing the policy.
At Advance Math and Science IV (AMS IV), part of the United Charter High Schools network, students must put their phones away before heading to class every morning.
“It is less of a distraction,” says Avery Paul, a ninth grader, adding, “It definitely forces you to pay attention more to your studies.”
Tanushri Singh is in eleventh grade, she says, “It really benefits you physically, socially, mentally.”
The bell-to-bell policy means the students lock their devices in a bin as soon as they arrive on campus.
For the remainder of the day, they are phoneless and are only allowed to collect their electronic devices at the end of the day.
According to a recent study by Pew Research, 72% of high school teachers see cell phones as problematic. Ms. Diana Barbosa, a geometry teacher, agrees with the ban “It helps eliminate distractions; it helps them stay focused, its nice to hone in to the things we need to accomplish.”
AMS IV Public Charter High School, along with the other six public district schools located on this campus, strictly enforces a no-cellphone policy during school hours.
According to Dr. Curtis Palmore, CEO of United Charter High School, students’ engagement and performances at this school were at the highest level.“So we made a decision on this school year to have that ban across all seven schools.”
That means nearly 3,000 kids in the Bronx, Brooklyn, and Queens do not have their devices at hand during school hours. Principal Claubentz Dieujuste says the policy sets an example for schools statewide and adds that if there is a major school emergency, the devices will be returned immediately so the kids can contact their families.
“We need to make some tough decisions to protect our kids and make sure they are competing at a higher level wherever they go.”
English (US) ·