West Seneca adopts local policy to enforce state 'distraction-free' law; outlines progressive discipline

The West Seneca Central School District on Aug. 12 said it has adopted a local policy to implement New York State’s distraction-free learning law and outlined how it will enforce devices being “off and away” for the entire instructional day.

Superintendent said the district “met the requirements of this law which, required us as a school district to adopt a local policy and to include stakeholders in the development of that policy.” The district adopted the policy by the state’s Aug. 1 deadline, the superintendent said.

Under the district’s approach, cell phones and internet-enabled devices must be off and out of use from the start to the end of the instructional day with no carve-outs for study hall, lunch or passing time. At the middle- and high-school level students will secure devices in lockers; elementary principals will communicate building-specific protocols where younger students may not have lockable lockers.

The superintendent outlined progressive discipline: a first offense is a verbal warning; subsequent offenses escalate consequences. On a third offense the district will impose detention and require a phone call home and a parent or guardian to pick up the device. A fourth offense would require the student to drop off the device at the main office at the start and retrieve it at the end of the day for a 10-week period; a fifth offense would extend that practice for the remainder of the school year. If a student reaches repeated violations, the district said it will involve pupil personnel services staff (counselors or social workers) to assess whether a student needs support for device dependency.

The district also scheduled a stakeholders’ status check for Oct. 28 to review what is working and whether adjustments are needed.

Quote excerpt: Superintendent said, “cell phones and other internet able devices are to be off and away during the instructional day.”