Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the School Discipline Policy topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
State 'bell-to-bell' cell-phone ban prompts Three Village to reconvene local policy committee
Summary
After enactment of a statewide bell-to-bell cell-phone ban in the New York education budget, Three Village administrators said they will reconvene a committee of students, staff, parents and community members to recommend local implementation; the ban prohibits suspension for violations and takes effect Sept. 1, district officials said May 13.
A statewide "bell-to-bell" ban on student cell-phone use in classrooms prompted Three Village Central School District officials to say on May 13 that they will reconvene a local committee to recommend how to implement the new requirement.
Mr. Carlson explained that the governor’s proposal for a state ban on cell phones in schools "has gone through," and Dr. Scanlon said the district will reconvene a committee made up of students, staff, parents, community members and administrators to develop recommended procedures and a school policy. "We are going to now have to reconvene that committee," Dr. Scanlon said.
District officials said the law or budget provision requires a local policy to be in place by Aug. 1 and implemented by Sept. 1. The district noted that the ban covers cell phones and other internet-capable personal devices that are not issued by the school, including smartwatches. Dr. Scanlon emphasized enforcement complexities: "Students cannot be suspended for this policy," a restriction called out during the discussion, so the committee will need to consider enforcement steps such as confiscation and parent pick-up while avoiding punitive suspensions.
Administrators told the board the district can use existing student lockers to help implement the ban and said they do not intend to require the purchase of specialized locking pouches. Several enforcement approaches used elsewhere — including pouches and storage devices — were discussed but administrators cautioned that students and families have found workarounds when those systems were used in other districts.
The board did not adopt a final policy at the May 13 meeting; Dr. Scanlon said the committee will produce recommendations for the board and that the district must communicate the forthcoming policy to families multiple times before implementation. District officials also noted the role of social media and online activity in student discipline rather than the devices themselves.
No hearing or formal public vote on a local cell-phone policy was recorded at the meeting; the discussion focused on committee composition, timelines and enforcement options that comply with the statewide requirement.
