The Kenmore Town of Tonawanda Union Free School District on Aug. 5 presented procedures to implement New York Education Law 28032, which restricts student use of personal internet‑enabled devices during the school day, effective September 2025. Superintendent Samuels said the district convened a stakeholder committee and drafted a policy required to be in place by Aug. 1; the board's consensus agenda at this meeting included related updates to the district code of conduct.

Why it matters: The new statewide requirement alters how students will carry and access smartphones, tablets and similar devices in school and affects daily communications, classroom procedures and discipline practices across all grade levels.

Superintendent Samuels described a grade‑specific approach the district plans to use. In elementary grades, students' devices will be kept in classroom lockers or secure spots in the classroom. Middle school students will store devices in personal lockers. At the high school level, devices will be collected during first‑period homeroom: each student will place a powered‑down device in a durable folder, and folders will be stored in locked classroom cabinets until a return period at the end of the day. The superintendent said a minute was removed from every period and an announcement period eliminated to create a 10–12 minute return window at the end of each school day for high school students to power up devices and retrieve messages.

On emergencies and communication, Samuels said families should continue to use the main office for urgent matters; the district will also allow limited in‑school calls home for true emergencies. For nonemergency messages to secondary students, families can communicate through Canvas for grades 5–12; external email to student inboxes is blocked for security reasons. The superintendent advised families that the simplest way to avoid problems is to leave personal devices at home but acknowledged some families will continue to send devices with students.

The superintendent said the district convened a stakeholder committee on June 24 and finalized the policy on July 25; procedures are still being finalized by administrators. He said the district will host a parent forum next Thursday at Kenmore West to review procedures and answer questions.

Discipline and implementation: Samuels said the district will use progressive discipline consistent with the code of conduct rather than a punitive ‘‘do this or else’’ approach. He emphasized the district will follow the law and implement procedures that support student safety and instructional continuity. He noted special‑case procedures (for BOCES students, late arrivals and early departures) are being worked out to minimize instructional disruption.

The board included code of conduct edits aligned to the law on the consensus agenda, which the board approved unanimously later in the meeting.

Next steps: Administrators will finalize written procedures and post an FAQ on the district website; a live forum and ongoing adjustments are planned as the district implements the law in September.