Albany board prepares for statewide ban on student device use as governor proposes storage funding

The Albany City School District Board of Education spent much of its meeting discussing a proposed statewide restriction on student cellphone and other internet-enabled device use after the governor included language in the executive budget requiring schools to limit device use during the school day.

District Superintendent Ron Hockrider told trustees the governor's proposal calls for "bell-to-bell" restrictions and that the committee formed by the district is recommending restricting device use during the school day, including lunch and study halls, with limited exceptions. Hockrider said a state budget decision expected in April will determine what obligations districts must meet.

Why it matters: The district's student population and building-by-building differences make implementation complex. Trustees repeatedly raised concerns about equity, discipline and extra workload for office and security staff, and how families would communicate with students in emergencies if students cannot carry phones.

Board members wanted more operational detail as the district prepares to change codes of conduct and building practices. Trustee Aminyawi asked for clarity on the timeline and whether the district should buy storage solutions; Hockrider said the board cannot finalize details until the state law is adopted. "It's not a law yet," Hockrider said. "Anything that we say now is about what the governor has said in the executive budget."

Trustees pressed administrators on likely budget and staffing effects. Trustee Wilson said the district should plan for increased office workload because parents who now text students will instead call schools; proctors, coaches and staff who rely on phones for last-minute game and schedule changes will also be affected. Trustee Grinchey and others noted the governor has set aside a one-time pool of funding for storage solutions (Hockrider referenced a statewide figure discussed in the meeting), but trustees said the amount will not cover districtwide costs and that storage solutions vary widely in price and durability.

The board discussed implementation options observed in other districts, including Troy's pilot: from a classroom basket to individual pouches or racks. Several trustees and staff emphasized the need for local flexibility, echoing conversations the district had with the Big 5 group of large urban districts in Albany's advocacy meetings with state lawmakers. Trustee Lisonbee said the Big 5 asked for local discretion in how a restriction would be implemented. "The key thing the Big 5 schools were advocating for is some local flexibility around implementation," she said.

Trustees also asked administrators to be intentional about how the district addresses disproportionate discipline outcomes. Trustee Smith asked whether districts piloting phone restrictions had seen disparities in disciplinary effects and urged staff to examine disciplinary data, including race and disability impacts, before finalizing a code of conduct.

Administrators said they are preparing to bring recommended code of conduct changes to policy committee in May and to the full board in June, timed to coincide with state action. Staff noted the district already surveyed families and found 62% of respondents favor restrictions, while 31% opposed them; administrators and trustees agreed more granularity by school level (elementary, middle, high) is important because parental views differ by grade levels.

Next steps: The district's cell phone task force will continue district-wide engagement, examine storage and staffing options, and report back to administrators and the policy committee after the state budget outcome is final. Trustees asked staff to include projected budget and staffing needs in follow-up reports and to model effects on school office operations and family communication.