As the K-12 academic year begins, students will now be prohibited from using their cell phones during the school day under a new state policy.

Passed as part of the state’s 2025-2026 fiscal year budget, the distraction-free schools law bans the “unsanctioned use” of internet-connected devices at public, charter and boards of cooperative educational services schools for the entire day, including lunch and study hall hours. The policy comes after Gov. Kathy Hochul and the New York State United Teachers, a labor union representing teachers statewide, saw phone use as an obstacle to learning and a harm to student mental health. Last July, Hochul began a listening tour across the state to gather feedback from teachers, students and parents over the use of electronics in schools.

Initially, Hochul faced skepticism from some state legislators and opposition by local school boards and superintendents before the proposal passed. State Sen. Lea Webb ‘04 and Assemblywoman Donna Lupardo MA ‘84 voted for the policy in the state budget. In a May 12 press release, Webb highlighted the policy as one of several that would promote “access to quality education from early childhood through college.”

Lupardo told Pipe Dream she supported the initiative because it would give schools flexibility to implement distraction-free policies rather than forcing all to adopt “a one-size fits all approach.”

“Schools that were already doing this, and early reports this week, show students more engaged in their classroom work and with one another,” Lupardo wrote. “There is also a hope that this will relieve the pressure to text and check social media accounts, giving students a needed break and a fresh perspective on themselves and others.”

Webb did not immediately return Pipe Dream’s request for comment.

Middle and high schools received a total of $13.5 million in state funding to help purchase lockable pouches, lockers and other secure storage options. Students attending school throughout the Vestal Central School District and the Binghamton City School District will lock their phones, smartwatches and earbuds in pouches until the end of the school day. Students in 10th to 12th grade who leave during their lunch period are allowed to bring their cell phones but must lock them before returning to class.

Last year, both districts implemented a similar policy, but the new state law means Vestal High School students will also have to lock away their devices this year. Previously, high school students had to put their phones in a pocket organizer hung in each classroom.

“There is substantial research indicating that personal electronic devices distract students from learning,” Patrick Clarke III, the assistant superintendent for instruction at the Vestal Central School District, wrote to Pipe Dream. “We also believe there are social and behavioral benefits to pausing device usage during the school day. Last year, Vestal Middle School experienced a reduction in disciplinary infractions associated with cell phone and social media misuse.”

Students face similar restrictions on cell phone usage in 13 other states.

The Vestal Teachers’ Association, a local branch of the NYSUT representing Vestal Central School District teachers,supports the initiative. Joseph Herringshaw, president of the union and a teacher at Vestal Middle School, said that teachers handled fewer social media difficulties as a result of the school district’s policy.

“We’re giving back children seven hours to be a kid again rather than focusing on social media, TikToks, Instagram, wherever the phone takes you,” Herringshaw said. “This is an opportunity to engage in face-to-face conversations, learn to engage with others through verbal discourse, rather than digital.”