Schenectady schools to require secured lock boxes for student cell phones beginning 2025–26

The Schenectady City School District announced that beginning in the 2025–26 school year students in pre‑K through grade 5 who bring cell phones will be required to place them in secured lock boxes for the duration of the school day.

A district staff member said, "Beginning in the 2025–26 school year, our schools are going distraction free," adding that the policy is intended to foster "better focus, stronger social skills, safer phone storage, and more real connections." The announcement described the change as districtwide for the youngest grades and said it follows the district's existing approaches for older students.

Under the plan announced, younger students will use secured lock boxes, while Yonder pouches will continue to be used in older grades. The staff member explained the routine: upon arrival, students who bring a phone will place it in a designated secured lock box; the phone will remain locked during the school day and be available for retrieval at dismissal.

The district advised parents who need to reach their child during the school day to call the school office. "Our staff is always here to help," the staff member said, and the announcement ended by directing listeners to visit schenectadyschools.org to read the full policy and contact their school office with questions.

The district did not provide further details in this announcement about exceptions, enforcement procedures, or whether the policy will apply to all district schools the first day of the 2025–26 school year; the full policy posted online was cited for additional information.