Gov. Kathy Hochul announced on January 21 a proposal to ban cell phones in classrooms. She stated that cell phones in the classroom are a major disruption for all students. A recent poll revealed that 95% of students have access to a smartphone and receive on average 250 notifications throughout the school day,

A $252 billion New York budget plan by Gov. Kathy Hochul would ban student cell phones during school and hike school aid by at least 2% per district.

New York Governor Kathy Hochul is proposing legislation to ban cell phones in public school classrooms, saying the move is necessary to give students a “distraction-free learning environment.”