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District plans local cellphone rules while awaiting state guidance on proposed ban
Summary
Superintendent Hockrider told the board the district will develop local policy and regulations in parallel with the state’s pending bell-to-bell cellphone policy; the district has formed a task force and plans communications and code-of-conduct alignment.
Superintendent Hockrider briefed the Board of Education on May 8 that the district will prepare local rules for student smartphone use while awaiting final state guidance tied to the governor’s initiative to make New York a bell-to-bell cellphone-free state.
Hockrider said district staff attended the state unveiling and that three Albany High School students participated in the state event and supported the concept. He cautioned that the state budget and guidance documents remain incomplete and several details—particularly funding, which agency drafts the required local plan, and implementation guidance—were still pending.
"We're still waiting for a number of specifics, particularly around funding, what the plan will look like, who needs to participate in writing the plan," Hockrider said. He added that the district’s cell-phone task force will continue work and bring policy and regulation revisions to the policy committee next week, and that the district will move forward independently in the short term as other districts have done.
Policy Committee Chair Miss Krejci and board members asked about family communications and how to keep the policy non-punitive. Hockrider said communications planning is underway and cited a district communications staff member (Lisa Andreami) who has been assigned to the task force. He said the district intends age-appropriate messaging for families, assemblies and principal-level supports at the start of the school year.
Policy Chair Krejci confirmed the upcoming policy committee meeting will consider the cell-phone policy alongside the annual code-of-conduct review.
Board members emphasized two-way communications with families (virtual meetings, PTA and broader outreach) and discussed aligning any sanctions into the district’s code of conduct to avoid duplicative punishments. The district said initial communications templates and Q&A materials are under development and will be presented to the board as revisions proceed.
