The Plainview-Old Bethpage Central School District is gearing up to implement Gov. Kathy Hochul’s “bell to bell” cell phone ban. At the Monday, June 2, Board of Education meeting, district leadership presented their plan and timeline for how they intend to accomplish this.
The policy, which was included as part of New York’s 2026 budget that passed in early May, prohibits students from using smartphones during the school day, including lunch and break periods. All public and charter schools are subject to this mandate, though each district is in charge of its implementation. The ban will go into effect at the beginning of next school year this fall.
Only one resident spoke during the public comment period, and said they were concerned about state involvement in local schools and the students’ possible inability to communicate during crises under the rules.
Like other school districts in the state, Plainview-Old Bethpage is evaluating its current policies to see how they fit within the new framework.
“We already have many cell phone and internet-connected device procedures in place,” Mary O’Meara, the district superintendent, said. “It will not feel so drastically different.”
O’Meara led the presentation on the topic, which emphasized the continuity and uniformity the district hopes to achieve with the new standards. The district plans to have protocols in which the enforcement and exemption rules are clear to all students and consistent from school to school.
The “bell to bell” regulation has exemptions built in for medical, academic and other circumstances as well as requiring ways for parents to be able to contact their children.
A timeline was also shared for the development and implementation of the policy in Plainview-Old Bethpage schools.
Starting June 3, parents in the community will be able to give feedback to the board via a survey. The results of the survey, as well as discussions with the Plainview-Old Bethpage Congress of Teachers and the district administrators’ association, will inform the draft of the policy.,
At the June 17 Board of Education meeting, the draft will be read and circulated for public comment. The policy in its final form is set to be implemented during the July 1 meeting.
The district plans to make sure everyone is on the same page regarding the rule changes. It will share updates with parents digitally as well as during back-to-school nights. Staff will be trained on the new procedures and students will receive explanations at assemblies.
