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Teachers’ opinions on the proposed phone ban in New York State public schools

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Teachers’ opinions on the proposed phone ban in New York State public schools

Rochester, New York – A proposal to outlaw smartphones in public schools has been put up by Governor Kathy Hochul.

It’s included in the governor’s State of the State Address, and individual school districts would be responsible for enforcing it if it were passed.

Over the course of his more than 20 years as a teacher in Rochester City Schools, Jason Valenti has seen how technology has changed among successive student generations.

Valenti says he supports the statewide approach to the governor’s proposals to implement a bell-to-bell ban on cell phones in classrooms.

It would be up to each teacher to attempt to enforce this in the classroom if we left this up to the various districts. We’re not the police on the phone. Teaching students about technology for free is not our goal. “It’s a huge distraction,” Valenti remarked.

Additionally, he described how phone use varies by grade level and why a ban would improve student engagement.

Many of the kids arrive with a functional device, but it lacks internet connectivity. According to what I’ve been told, the true issue lies in the upper grades, when pupils organize activities among themselves during the school day, leading to dangerous and chaotic circumstances. Many things occur after school, and if one child chooses to post something, there may be a problem with that behavior later. Occasionally, social media interactions that may have occurred in school can lead to the violence we witness in our community, and vice versa,” Valenti added.

The governor has cited the planned change’s positive effects on student achievement and general well-being.

Smartphones have a lot of manipulative power. It turns into a drug-like addiction. These youths are requesting assistance. They are actually phoning us to ask for assistance. It is our responsibility as the adults present and as legislators to answer that call and then put the phone down,” he stated. “I believe that “it’s about time” is the most significant statement I’ve heard.
I am reasonably certain that I understand the reasoning behind this and that the majority of the organizations that deal with education, kids, and families support it. Support exists for this.

The ban would go into effect in all New York State public schools the next academic year if it were approved.

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