As part of the agreement on the fiscal year 2026 State Budget, Governor Kathy Hochul announced that New York is becoming the largest state in the nation to require statewide, bell-to-bell restrictions on smartphones in K-12 schools. New York State’s distraction-free schools policy, which includes all devices that can connect to the internet, will take effect this fall for the 2025-2026 school year.
Currently in North Colonie, students in elementary and middle school cannot have their phones out during the school day. The phones are already stowed away for the full day, and this is working well for the students in those grades. At Shaker High School, however, students are currently allowed to use their phones when they are not in classes. This practice will have to change in light of the new legislation as the ban on all internet connected devices is for the entire school day, including non-instructional times such as homeroom, study hall, and lunch.
In order to comply and ensure that students do not have access to their cell phones during the entirety of the school day, the district will be providing high school students with lockable pouches. The pouches will be locked upon arrival and will be unlocked upon dismissal. More information about the implementation of these pouches will come throughout the summer from the high school principal.
Parents who need to get a message to their children during the school day may call the school main office or hall office as appropriate. For more information regarding specifics, please review the North Colonie Board of Education proposed policy for distraction free schools below. After reviewing the policy, please use this link to provide any feedback that you have regarding the policy. Feedback will be shared with the Board of Education for their discussions and consideration prior to their adoption of the policy.
Policy 5695 - STUDENTS CELL PHONE/ PERSONAL ELECTRONIC DEVICES
The Board of Education of the North Colonie Central School District recognizes that students may have personal electronic devices that can perform different functions. Such devices include, but are not limited to: phones (both smartphones and call/text only phones), tablets, smart watches, wireless headphones and earbuds, internet-connected accessories, e-readers, calculators, voice recorders, cameras, and music devices. These devices can create significant distraction to the school environment and reduce student engagement. Additionally, in an emergency, the use of personal electronic devices can distract students from following the directions of staff or emergency responders, contribute to the spread of misinformation, create congestion in the emergency response system, and interfere with the District’s emergency response protocols.
Generally, the District is not responsible for stolen, lost or damaged personal electronic devices brought to school. During the school day, to minimize distractions, students and their parents/legal guardians (which, for the purposes of this policy, includes persons in parental relation) are asked to communicate via the school. If parents or persons in parental relation need to reach their children during the school day, they may call the school’s main office or hall office as applicable for assistance. Each building will educate families on its specific communication protocol.
As required by Education Law 2803, this policy prohibits student use of internet-enabled devices during the school day (including all classes, homeroom periods, lunch, recess, study halls, and passing time) on school grounds (any building, structure, athletic playing field, playground or land contained within the boundary of a school or District facility) unless under an exception (e.g. IEP/Section 504 or as permitted below).
At the elementary, middle, and high school levels, students are encouraged to leave personal electronic devices home. Elementary and middle school students who do bring personal electronic devices must have devices silenced (without vibration) and put away in elementary cubbies or middle school lockers from the time students enter the school building until the end of the school day, including time spent in class, lunch, study hall, detention, in-school suspension, and between classes. Exemptions may be granted as outlined below.
High school students who bring their personal electronic devices onto School District property must have such devices silenced (without vibration), and will be directed to place such device(s) in a District-issued individual locked pouch for the entire instructional day including time spent in class, lunch, study hall, detention, in-school suspension, and between classes. Pouches for electronic devices shall be unlocked at the end of the instructional day. Exemptions may be granted as outlined below.
The District shall not assume any responsibility/liability for theft, loss, or damage of an electronic device or for any unauthorized calls made on an electronic device. For students who violate this policy and are required to hand their device to District administration, the District will exercise reasonable care to maintain the security of such devices that are held by the District, but cannot guarantee that the devices will be secure. If a student loses or damages their District-issued individual locked pouch, their parent/persons in parental relation shall be financially responsible for the cost of replacing the locked pouch.
Students must be permitted to use their personal electronic devices in the classroom for specific educational purposes, if the following criteria are met:
Management of necessary student healthcare
If included in an IEP
If included in a 504 plan
On a case-by-case basis, upon review and determination by a school psychologist, school social worker, or school counselor, with approval by the principal, for a student caregiver who is routinely responsible for the care and well-being of a family member
For translation services
Exemptions and Exceptions
Parents or persons in parental relation may request an exemption for their children to use personal electronic devices during the school day for bona fide medical or disability-related reasons. Requests must be made to the Building Principal and must include documentation from an appropriate medical or educational professional. If an exemption has been granted, personal devices may only be used for the purposes outlined in the exemption, and the device must be silenced and put away when not in use.
In emergency situations, exceptions to the prohibition of the use of personal electronic devices may be granted by administrators.
When students are permitted to possess and use electronic devices in District schools, students must abide by all District policies. It remains a violation of District policy to:
Take photographs or videos of others without their consent
Audio record others without their consent
Possess or send inappropriate images or inappropriate written references
Harass, bully, or discriminate against, demean or ridicule another person(s) or group
Cheat on school assignments or assessments by sending or receiving confidential academic or testing information
For purposes prohibited by SED regulations or state or federal law
Enforcement and Consequences
Enforcement of this policy is the responsibility of building administrative staff; however, all designated employees are expected to assist in enforcement. Students in violation of this policy will have the device removed by administrators and retained in a secure location for the parent/person in parental relation to retrieve at the end of the school day. Administrators will discuss the aims of this policy with students and their parents/persons in parental relation, the benefits of a distraction-free environment, the reasons the student had difficulty following this policy, and how the District can help the student. Subsequent violations may also result in consequences under the District’s Code of Conduct.
Some uses of personal electronic devices may constitute a violation of the School District Code of Conduct or other District policies, and in some instances, the law. The District will cooperate with law enforcement officials as appropriate.
Electronic Devices and Testing
To ensure the integrity of testing, in accordance with state guidelines, students may not bring cell phones or other electronic devices into classrooms or other exam locations during state assessments. Teachers may grant specific permission for electronic device usage during tests other than state assessments.
Test proctors, monitors, and school officials have the right to collect cell phones and other prohibited electronic devices prior to the start of the test and to hold them for the duration of the test taking time. Admission to the test will be prohibited to any student who has a cell phone or other electronic device in their possession and does not relinquish it.
Students with Individualized Education Plans, Section 504 Plans, or documentation from medical practitioners specifically requiring use of electronic devices may do so as specified.
Communication with Parents/Persons in Parental Relation
During the school day, to minimize distractions, parents/persons in parental relation may contact their children via the following methods: calling the school main office or calling the hall office in the secondary schools. The District will notify parents in writing of the communication protocol at the beginning of each school year and upon enrollment.
Administrators will also discuss the aims of this policy with students and their parents/persons in parental relation, the benefits of a distraction-free environment, the reason the student had difficulty following this policy, and how the District can help the student contribute to a distraction-free environment.
Notification
The District will publish an annual report on its website detailing the enforcement of this policy for the last school year with the applicable requirements as stated by Education Law section 2803. The District will include the information from this policy, or a plain language summary, in applicable handbooks and on the District website. Students will also be reminded of this policy regularly and consistently, especially at the start of the school year and after returning from breaks.
Upon request by a student or parent, the District will translate this policy into any of the twelve most common non-English languages spoken by limited-English proficient individuals in the state, as identified by the most recent American community survey published by the U.S. Census Bureau.
Cross-ref:
4526, Computer Use in Instruction
5300, Code of Conduct
Ref:
Education Law 2803
Price v. New York City Board of Education, 16 Misc.3d 543 (2007)
NYSED, Prohibition of Cell Phones and Electronic Devices in New York State Assessments, www.nysed.gov/educator-integrity/prohibition-cell-phones-and-electronic-devices-new-york-state-assessments.