District presents cell‑phone policy for September implementation as parents warn enforcement will fall on staff

The Sewanhaka Central High School District presented a draft student electronic‑device policy at its June board meeting that would require students to store personal cell phones in lockers and not access them during the school day, with implementation scheduled for September.

Why it matters: The proposed policy stems from the governor's cell‑phone ban and aims to create a distraction‑free learning environment. Parents and students told the board they are concerned about enforcement, equity, and how the district will handle genuine emergencies and students who transition between schools or leave for lunch.

Policy details presented: Superintendent Miss Grama said the policy reflects the governor’s ban and lays out district implementation steps. Exemptions described in the presentation include students leaving the building for career and technical education programs, school field trips, and seniors who leave for lunch; in those cases students may take phones with them. The district will continue to issue iPads to students to support instruction. The superintendent said teachers will be expected to provide instruction without the use of cell phones.

Public comment and alternatives: Jessica Alfonsi, who identified herself as affiliated with Floral Park Memorial High School, told the board the locker‑storage approach “will fail to create a phone free environment for students” in cases of severe phone addiction and questioned how enforcement will work when many students are noncompliant. Alfonsi recommended the district consider using Yondr‑style lockable pouches used in other local high schools; she said a nearby school had checked in more than 1,000 students each morning with that system and reported a positive shift in student behavior.

Speakers also raised practical concerns: who would collect and monitor phones, how offenses would be tracked, and how parents would contact students in a true emergency. Alfonsi noted state funding available to districts for implementing the new law and estimated a district cost in the order of "maybe 200,000 ish," which she described as a small share of the district budget.

Board action and next steps: At the meeting the policy was listed on the agenda for review; the transcript shows the policy as presented and under review but does not record a final board vote adopting the student‑device policy. Board members indicated the district had convened parent meetings, staff and student conversations and a cell‑phone committee that reported to the board in January.

Ending: The board did not adopt a final policy in the meeting transcript; public commenters asked administrators to return with clearer enforcement plans and to consider lockable pouch systems shown to work in neighboring schools.