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Title: New York Lawmakers Reach Deal On 'Bell-To-Bell' School Cellphone Ban

Link: https://news.slashdot.org/story/25/04/29/2023...

An anonymous reader quotes a report from CBS News: New York Gov. Kathy Hochul
says a $254 billion state budget deal has been reached, including a "bell-to-
bell" school cellphone ban. [...] The distraction-free policy would take
effect next school year, making New York the largest state in the country
with a "bell-to-bell" cellphone ban. Hochul says the plan will help protect
children from addictive technology and improve their mental health. The New
York State United Teachers union also came out in support of the ban, saying
"we are at a crisis point." The governor previously outlined the proposal
back in January, saying it would ban the use of smartphones and other
internet-enabled devices on school grounds during the school day. That
includes classroom time, lunch and study hall periods. "A bell-to-bell ban,
morning until the day is over, is not going to hurt your kids. It's going to
help them emerge with stronger mental health and resiliency," she told CBS
News New York at the time. Hochul said the ban would include smartphones and
other personal "smart" devices, like smartwatches. Exemptions could be made
if a student requires a device to manage a medical condition or for
translation purposes. Cellphones that don't have internet capability and
devices that are provided by the school for lesson plans would still be
allowed. The proposal would let individual schools come up with their own
ways to implement the ban and store the devices, and schools would be able to
decide whether to have students leave them in things like pouches, lockers or
cubbies. It would also require schools to make sure parents have a way to
contact their children during the day, if needed. "Protecting our communities
requires more than streets where people feel safe. We need classrooms where
young minds can flourish, and that means eliminating once and for all the
digital distractions that steal our kids' attention," the governor said,
adding, "We protected our kids before from cigarettes, alcohol and drunk
driving, and now, we're protecting them from addictive technology designed to
hijack their attention."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

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