Elwood UFSD outlines procedures to comply with New York ban on personal internet devices during school day

Elwood Union Free School District Superintendent Dr. Steele and district administrators on July 29 held a public forum to explain how the district will implement a New York State law that prohibits students from using personal internet‑connected devices during the school day and on school grounds.

The presentation, led by Dr. Steele with Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction Amy Meyer, explained that the district will require students to silence and store personal devices during the school day and described different storage arrangements for elementary and secondary students. The district said it will not be responsible for lost, damaged or stolen personal devices, and that the school will not suspend students solely for having a device in hand during the school day.

The law requires districts to adopt a local policy to implement the statewide prohibition. "This policy is a result of a New York State law," Dr. Steele said during the forum, adding the district aims to provide a distraction‑free learning environment and to reduce misinformation during emergency responses. The district intends to post a draft policy, solicit feedback via a Google form shared through ParentSquare and present the policy for official adoption at a special Board of Education meeting scheduled for July 29.

Under the district plan, elementary students (K–5) will store devices in classroom storage such as cubbies or closets; middle and high school students will be asked to store devices in lockers for the school day. The district noted the law explicitly disallows using backpacks as an approved storage location.

District officials outlined statutory exceptions that will permit device access during the school day: medical needs (for example, a student with diabetes who uses a phone to monitor health), services required by individualized education programs (IEPs) or Section 504 plans, translation services when district devices do not provide required functionality, authorized instructional activities and emergency use as determined by school staff in consultation with parents and students.

The district emphasized that the ban does not permit suspension solely for possession. "We are not authorized to suspend any students specifically for the for having a device in their hands," Dr. Steele said. District staff said code‑of‑conduct consequences could follow in cases of insubordination or when device use escalates into other violations (for example, threats or actions requiring law enforcement involvement).

Parents at the forum raised operational concerns: how a parent can contact a child during the day for pick‑ups, how staff will handle students who need locker access between classes, how the policy will affect students who rely on phones for safety or emotional support, and the logistics for students who struggle to use lockers after remote‑learning years. A number of commenters suggested alternatives such as individually locked pouches or classroom drop boxes; district officials said they will examine options and costs but noted tradeoffs (for example, boxes outside classrooms would not address use in hallways or cafeterias).

District staff said building principals will include the new procedures in each school's welcome‑back materials and will brief families on how the main office phone and existing communication systems will be used to relay urgent messages. The district said classroom and common‑area communication systems — including classroom phones and radios used for outdoor activities — are already tested as part of security protocols and will be emphasized in training prior to the school year.

The district pledged to collect data on the policy's effects. "We are supposed to gather information," Dr. Steele said, describing plans to track academic measures, disciplinary records and school‑climate indicators over time to evaluate the policy's impact. District administrators said some early effects on climate or behavior may be visible sooner than academic changes, and they will provide links to research on distraction‑free learning zones in materials sent to families.

The forum closed with a reminder that feedback via the ParentSquare survey will remain open through the following week and that the recording of the meeting will be available for those who could not attend.