Gov. Kathy Hochul on listening tour regarding smartphone uses in classrooms
Governor Kathy Hochul has kicked off a statewide listening tour focused on addressing smartphone use in schools.
This listening tour will include roundtable discussions with key stakeholders over the coming months. The Governor has emphasized the engagement will play a key role as she develops a statewide policy proposal on smartphones in schools that will be announced later this year.
New York City has already moved to ban phones in schools, as well as Los Angeles and the state of Virginia.
Hochul said, “We can help our young people succeed in the classroom by ensuring they’re learning and growing – not clicking and scrolling. That’s why I’m working with all stakeholders across the state to develop effective solutions on smartphones that help protect our kids’ mental health and deliver the best results for our schools.”
According to a Pew Research poll released in June, 72 percent of high school teachers nationwide say that students being distracted by cell phones is a major problem in their classroom.
In my private school here in Virginia of which I was head (I am a native of Jamestown), our rule was this: cell phone use was permitted at breaks and at lunch; it was also permitted in the classroom at the direction of the teacher. If the policy was violated, the phone was confiscated and returned to the student at the end of the day. This teaches responsible cell phone use. I think a total ban would be unrealistic. Cell phones are now used to conduct business as well as personal matters. We need to teach their responsible use, along with the idea that “it can wait”.