There has never been a worse time to ban phones in New York schools

A young woman reads in class, while her phone lays waiting on her desk. Photo Credit: Jaclyn Borowski for Education Week

A statewide ban prohibiting cell phone usage in New York public schools will go into effect this fall. The “bell-to-bell” policy will require students to relinquish access to their personal devices from the moment they walk into the building to the moment they leave, but several parents argue safety comes first—and taking away a student’s primary form of communication is just about the most dangerous thing schools can do.

The ban aims to alleviate cell phone-induced distractions in the classroom, but it neglects to understand the vital role phones play in emergencies. They’re necessary to keep parents—and first responders—informed, and for an overwhelming number of students, they can be the last vessel of communication between an ill-fated child and their loved ones. 

A similar bill was proposed in Georgia last year. Following the tragic Apalachee High School shooting which claimed the lives of four and injured another nine, National Parents Union President Keri Rodrigues said, “The fact of the matter is parents and families cannot rely on schools to effectively communicate with us in times of emergency.” 

Following the shooting, several heartbreaking messages were discovered to have been sent amidst the crossfire. Boston.com reported that Apalachee junior messaged her mother, “I love you…I’m sorry I’m not the best daughter.” 

Even in less dire events, cell phones play an important role in keeping students calm amidst stressful situations. Just last week, a Commack High School teacher suffered a cardiac emergency, and the school enacted a hold-in-place in an effort to keep passageways clear. 

“The students were not told what was going on so [my daughter] texted me saying she was in the nearest classroom hiding and petrified,” explained Erik Kolodny, father of two—a CHS eleventh grader and a college sophomore. “Without these cell phones, students have even less defense as they cannot ask for help in an emergency situation.”

Additionally, parents of children requiring medical accommodations worry how this ban might affect their children. State representatives confirmed that these students would be permitted to keep their phones, but parents argue making their child explicitly ‘other’ isn’t fair either. 

Great Hollow Middle School is one of several Long Island schools which already had cell phone bans in place long before the ban. Keri Armentano, mother of three, says her Great Hollow eighth-grader is permitted a cell phone to monitor her Type 1 Diabetes. Despite this allowance, Keri lamented that a target is often painted on her daughter’s back. 

“She gets called out constantly—even with teachers she has daily that know she is a diabetic,” lamented Keri. She also explained how her daughter would often let her sugars run high because she was too embarrassed to pull out her phone. “When some can have [their phones] and others cannot, I think it creates an issue.”

The fact of the matter is this: the phone addiction plaguing Gen Z won’t go away that easily, and schools simply aren’t the safe place they once were. There’s no denying that cell phones can be a massive distraction in academic settings, but there are so many other options than completely banning phones entirely. Put them in a bin at the front of the classroom, enforce keeping them away during class-time—just don’t completely obliterate students’ only line of communication.