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Board discusses New York 'bell-to-bell' cellphone ban as part of districtwide safety plan
Summary
At the Aug. 13 board meeting, administrators described how the new New York State "bell‑to‑bell" cellphone law will be implemented in Wappingers schools, said a community notice will be sent, and clarified that administrators—not classroom staff—will manage enforcement.
At its Aug. 13 meeting, the Wappingers Central School District Board of Education reviewed the districtwide school safety plan and discussed how to implement New York State’s new “bell‑to‑bell” cellphone ban, with administrators saying phones must not be on students’ persons during the school day and should be stored elsewhere.
District leaders said the safety plan is unchanged in its core procedures and that the new state law tightens the rules by requiring students to keep phones off their person from bell to bell. Assistant Superintendent Wilkema said the district will send a community notice this week outlining the law and that building principals are reviewing a draft letter to families: “There will be, sure some questions and concerns in general about the nature of the idea … students will not be allowed to have on their person cell phones in school from bell to bell. … I have the letter in draft. I’m just having some of the building principals review it.”
The change follows the board’s June approval of a cellphone policy; administrators said the main operational shift is where phones must be stored. “The major change … is that they are not allowed to be on the person of the student,” Wilkema said. Under the district’s plan, phones would typically be stored in a locker or another designated storage area.
Superintendent Dr. Bonk highlighted recent safety work and interagency coordination, noting the district was invited to participate in a tabletop exercise this month with the FBI and county emergency responders. “That’s a tribute to the work that this district has done over the years in ensuring that our top priority remains the safety and security of our students and our staff,” he said.
Board members asked about operational issues and staff training. Wilkema said staff will receive guidance before school starts and emphasized that classroom staff should not confiscate devices: “We don’t ask our staff to confiscate phones. If they see a student with a phone, they notify the administrator. That’s the administrator’s responsibility.” The board added that administrators will be responsible for managing compliance and that principals will review and communicate procedures in professional development prior to the start of school.
The district also noted public concerns may arise about parents' ability to contact children during emergencies; administrators said those topics are separate from the safety plan’s operational procedures. The public hearing on the districtwide safety plan had no signups; Trustee Kellen moved to close the hearing, Trustee Lumia seconded, and the board voted unanimously to resume the regular meeting.
The board did not adopt any new enforcement penalties at the meeting; staff were directed to finalize the community notice and to provide training materials for school administrators ahead of the school year.
Details from the meeting: the district plans to send the community notice starting this week; principals are reviewing the draft; classroom staff are instructed to notify administrators rather than confiscate phones; the public hearing on the safety plan was closed with a unanimous vote.
