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New York’s Bell-to-Bell School Phone Ban Takes Effect on First Day of Classes

Officials promise clear emergency channels during the rollout.

Gov. Kathy Hochul highlights distraction-free schooling by showing students new Yondr cell phone pouches at M.S. 582, The Magnet School for Multimedia Technology and Urban Planning, on Thursday, Sept. 4, 2025. (Susan Watts / Office of Governor Kathy Hochul)
A photograph of a group of people on a red carpet.
A paraprofessional helps a student off the bus on his first day of school
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Overview

  • The statewide prohibition began Thursday for public and charter schools, restricting personal internet-connected devices from arrival to dismissal with limited exemptions.
  • New York City schools are enforcing the policy with varied methods, including about 820 campuses using Yondr-style pouches, 600 using drop-boxes, and 550 collecting devices in classrooms, according to DOE data.
  • Parents and students raised safety and communication concerns, while Teamsters Local 237 reported school safety agents have fallen from 5,300 in 2019–20 to 3,300.
  • Mayor Eric Adams and Schools Chancellor Melissa Aviles-Ramos said emergency procedures and contact lines are in place, and the chancellor convened principal briefings and deployed support staff for the rollout.
  • Polling shows about 61% of New York voters back school phone bans, and the state joins a growing national cohort with restrictions in place this year.