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Goshen school district committee outlines plan to implement state "bell-to-bell" cell phone ban
Summary
A district committee that included teachers and students developed a cell-phone policy to comply with a new state law banning internet-capable devices during the school day; administrators said the plan divides rules by level, allows statutory exemptions and will require an adjustment period.
GOSHEN, N.Y. — A district committee convened this spring to draft a Goshen Central School District policy to comply with New York’s new “bell-to-bell” ban on internet-capable devices and recommended a plan that separates elementary and secondary rules while preserving statutory exemptions.
Interim Superintendent Tom Panchovy told the Board of Education the committee’s work will guide the schoolwide rollout and that the district will publish details for families before the 2025–26 school year. “We’re gonna need everyone on board with this. This is now a law,” Panchovy said, stressing that the administration aims to implement the law without “playing a game of cat and mouse” over confiscations.
Committee members and teachers who presented the draft described a two-tier approach developed with student input. Kelly Vaughn, an elementary teacher, said the elementary recommendation discourages bringing devices to school and requires any device to be silenced and kept in students’ bags or cubbies. Elena Jordan, a middle-school teacher and committee member, said the secondary recommendation requires phones to be silenced and stored in lockers upon arrival.
Jordan said the committee researched other districts’ policies, spoke with Middletown — which has operated a ban for two years — and consulted stakeholders, including parents and students. “The students had a great deal of input,” Jordan said, and suggested changes such as expanded outdoor opportunities and additional board games during free periods to ease the transition.
The proposed policy includes the exemptions required by state law — for example, use for documented health needs — and leaves implementation details such as storage options to the district. The committee considered pouches used by other districts but rejected them because of cost and maintenance concerns.
District leaders said the policy will describe how parents can contact students during the school day without circumventing the ban. Panchovy urged families to follow the district’s contact procedures and noted the district wants to avoid routine confiscations. “The origin is to keep schools distraction free,” he said.
No formal vote to adopt a final board policy occurred at the meeting; administrators said the draft will be finalized and published after additional work and communications with families. Board members thanked the committee for its hours of work and called for clear communication before the school year begins.
Proponents on the committee said they expect an adjustment period but argued the approach balances student needs, legal requirements and day-to-day logistics. “We believe that we developed a well thought out plan and believe that we’ll be successful this upcoming school year,” Jordan said.
The board did not take a formal action on the policy text at the July 14 meeting; administrators said they will return with the final wording and implementation timeline prior to the start of classes.
A note on timing: the committee’s presentation and the interim superintendent’s remarks took place during the regular session of the board’s July 14 meeting and came before several consent and personnel votes.
