Cell Phone Ban

Henry Youmans 

In a meeting on October 8, 2024, the Niskayuna Board of Education had a six-to-one vote to implement a new cell phone policy, which would prevent student usage of their personal cell phones at any point during school hours while on school property at the high school, middle schools and elementary schools. The policy has not yet been enacted, however, it has been incorporated in other neighboring school districts. 

The decision was made because despite many attempts to regulate cell phone usage in class, it still remains a prevalent issue in the school. The ban is also meant to help students with their mental health and anxiety from social media, as well as lower cyberbullying and promote socializing between students. 

Many students are distressed by the cell phone ban, as it could disrupt their ability to learn or contact home. This is especially applicable to students who have 504 plans which legally mandate them to be allowed to be used in the classroom to help with learning. Other students like to use their cell phones as a way to reduce stress during the day or listen to music, which does not create problems nor disturbances for them or anyone else around them. 

Many parents are also concerned about this as well, as it prevents connection between them and their children throughout the day. They are afraid that there may be cases where they would want to be able to contact their child during the day and would not be able to, such as instances of schedule changes, medical emergencies, or problems in the school such as a lockdown or fire. Some parents believe that having a phone is a privilege that one would have as an adult, and it is important to learn how to have this privilege as a child, much like how teenagers are allowed to have a driver’s permit. 

At the following meeting on October 15, many students and parents expressed their concerns regarding the cell phone policy. One student, Gabriel Litzner, talked about his perspective as a student who is able to use his phone during the school day for various reasons. He cited many arguments, such as school issued chromebooks having banned links that cannot be accessed despite many of them being useful for school projects and research. 

One argument he made is that a lot of students, specifically juniors and seniors, have a lot of free time throughout the day, and do not have a lot to do to fill in the empty parts of this time. “Many students leave during that time, and that would be one way around the phone policy problem. And I do not believe that it is correct that juniors and seniors should not be allowed to use their phones during their free periods, but they are allowed to go outside and off school premises” said Litzner, while speaking to the Board of Education. 

While no policy has been officially implemented, the chances of some type of phone ban becoming a part of the school policy is now likely. However, it will require much more consideration with the Board of Education, due to the worries of both parents and students alike.