Earlier this summer, New York State Governor Kathy Hochul launched a “hearing tour” across New York State to hear from parents, educators and stakeholders on the issue of smartphones in the classroom.

In a press release, Hochul expressed her belief: “We can help our young people succeed in school by ensuring they learn and grow – not by clicking and scrolling.”

Read more: Governor Hochul addresses a major issue affecting children in classrooms

A school district in the lower Hudson Valley has now released its latest guidelines for student cell phone use in the classroom, following Hochul’s focus on smartphones in schools.

Should phones be allowed in the classroom?

There are many divided opinions in the debate about cell phone access in the classroom.

Some argue that smartphones are really distracting for students in the classroom. Also, there is an issue of privacy in the classroom. Students can take out their phones and record and post anything with a smartphone, which is a new threat in the area of ​​bullying in schools.

However, many parents argue that they feel safer knowing their child can contact them if necessary. With gun violence on school campuses on the rise, many parents are in favor of allowing children to keep their phones in the classroom as a safety measure in case of an emergency.

No more cell phones in class for a district in the Lower Hudson Valley

The Garrison Central School District recently posted its policies for the upcoming school year on its district website. The policies include a section on cell phones.

According to the website, “the use of mobile phones is not permitted during the school day (8:25 a.m. – 3:15 p.m.).”

The district says cell phones must be locked in student lockers during class time. They also say phones that are kept in lockers must be turned off completely or placed on silent.

The Garrison Central School District further states that more information on the new cell phone policy will be included in the Code of Conduct and Acceptable Use Policy document that will be distributed in the next few days.

If more information becomes available, we will be sure to update it.