North Fork schools roll out mandated cellphone bans

Gone are the days of texting and scrolling during class, as Gov. Kathy Hochul’s statewide bell-to-bell ban on internet-enabled devices in schools takes effect this fall. 

The ban applies to all public schools, charter schools and Boards of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES) programs and aims to create a distraction-free environment in New York schools. 

Gov. Hochul’s policy, which was approved as part of the 2026 fiscal year budget, prohibits unsanctioned use of smartphones and other internet-enabled personal devices on K-12 school grounds for the entire day, including classroom time, lunch and study hall periods. 

“I know our young people succeed when they’re learning and growing, not clicking and scrolling — and that’s why New York continues to lead the nation on protecting our kids in the digital age,” Gov. Hochul said in a May 6 press release.

Schools were allowed to develop their own plans for smartphone storage during the day, giving administrators and teachers the ability to decide what is best for their buildings and students. 

The policy requires schools give parents a way to contact their children during the school day when necessary, and states that inequitable discipline should be prevented. 

Exceptions to the policy include students who need their smartphone to manage a medical condition, for Individualized Education Programs (IEP) and for other purposes such as translation, family caregiving and emergencies. 

What you need to know about the ban in your district

Greenport Union Free School District will implement the use of Yondr pouches starting this year for students in grades 7-12. The pouches, which cost $11,685 in total, were financed in part by $3,652 from New York State Education Department’s support for the distraction-free schools initiative. The district’s 2025-26 BOCES budget covered the other $8,033. 

Students will secure their phones in the Yondr pouches upon arrival at school and keep them on their person throughout the day. Those who leave campus for lunch, as permitted by the district’s open-campus policy, will have their pouches unlocked before lunch and re-locked upon return.

Kindergarten through sixth-grade students are strongly discouraged from bringing phones to school. If brought, the phones must remain off and stored in backpacks for the duration of the school day. 

The district will make individual modifications to support students with medical needs to ensure access where appropriate, Superintendent Beth Doyle said.

Southold Union Free School District will implement its own ban on internet-enabled devices and prohibit their use during the school day on school grounds unless under an exception. 

“We are blessed in Southold to have a supportive school community, and we will work together to comply with the state requirements regarding internet-enabled devices during the school day,” Superintendent Anthony Mauro said. “These items have never been an issue in Southold, and we don’t expect that to change.”

Elementary students are discouraged from bringing devices to school. Any device that is brought to school must be silenced and kept in the student’s personal cubby. Middle- and high-school students’ devices must be silenced and stored in student lockers. 

Exceptions to the ban include students whose use of internet-enabled devices is permitted in their IEP, Section 504 program, for translation services or when it is necessary to manage their health care. Students who are routinely responsible for the care and well being of a family member may be exempted on a case-by-case basis after review and determination by a school psychologist, school social worker or school counselor. 

Exemption requests for the aforementioned reasons must be made to the building principal. Health care exceptions require documentation from an appropriate health care professional. 

Throughout the school day, parents and guardians can contact their children using the main office phone line at 631-765-5400. 

District-registered devices may be used on school grounds during the school day for specific educational purposes with administrative approval while using the district’s network.

Building administrative staff and designated employees are expected to assist in enforcement of the policy. Penalties for violating the policy, under the district’s code of conduct, include detention, in-school suspension and exclusion from extracurricular activities. 

Beginning Sept. 1, 2026, the district will publish annual reports on its website detailing policy enforcement over the preceding year. The report will include “non-identifiable demographic information” about students who faced disciplinary action for violating the policy. 

“If a statistically significant disparate enforcement impact is identified, the report will include a plan to mitigate such disparate enforcement,” the policy states. 

Southold’s policy can be found online at bit.ly/4m6I84i.

The Oysterponds School District Board of Education will discuss its own plans to pass new policy in accordance with the state education law at its Aug. 12 meeting. Superintendent Justin Cobis said students and families shouldn’t feel any impact from the newly required policy. 

“Only a handful of students in our school have cellphones, and those that do will store them in designated areas in the classroom,” Mr. Cobis said. “Thankfully, with a smaller population and supportive staff we have been able to maintain a distraction-free school prior to this year’s statewide mandate.”

Mattituck-Cutchogue Union Free School District did not respond or post a policy on its website in time for publication.