NEW YORK CITY (Racedaylive) –
Cellphones will soon be banned at New York schools from “bell-to-bell” next year, thanks to the policy’s inclusion in the state’s 2026 budget.
Hochul recently announced that state lawmakers reached an agreement on the 2026 state budget to allow the cellphone ban to move forward, but the full budget has not yet been adopted.
On Tuesday, Gov. Kathy Hochul said the ban will start next September, but it has not yet been determined how schools will lock up phones.
The state will provide $13.5 million to schools across New York to implement the policy. Each school will create its own enforcement policy, and must offer students a way to contact their parents, Hochul said.
New York will be the largest state to have a cellphone ban, Hochul said.
“No more memes instead of math,” Hochul said. “They’re now going to be focused.”
Organizers with New York State United Teachers joined Hochul Tuesday to voice their support for the ban, and polling has shown that a majority of New York voters support the policy.