South Colonie plans survey and local rules as state's phone ban takes effect in 2025-26

Superintendent Dr. Herring told the Board of Education on June 10 that the district will implement a statewide ban on mobile devices in classrooms starting with the 2025-26 school year and will seek local input on how to carry out that requirement.

"We are going to be seeking some input on that, plans to send out a survey to students and families, seeking some feedback on ways to best implement this process," Dr. Herring said, noting the change follows the recent state budget and Education Law 2803.

Herring said the law requires exclusion of cell phones and other internet-enabled devices during school hours, with carve-outs for medical needs or other extreme circumstances. He said local implementation details were still being developed and that the district would solicit family and student feedback through a survey in coming weeks.

The superintendent said the policy will likely be a bell-to-bell exclusion and would cover devices such as smartwatches. He noted the district is evaluating potential storage solutions for students' devices but indicated some options could be costly: "The Yonder bags are pretty expensive. It was about a $60,000 price tag just for the 2 years," he said.

District leaders said they expected fewer changes at the elementary and middle school levels initially and that the board would seek to balance safety, instructional needs and accommodation for students with documented medical needs. The board did not vote on a final local policy at the meeting; the presentation was informational and staff said they would return with details after the survey and internal planning.