On Monday, December 1, Governor Kathy Hochul announced big wins for her “Bell to Bell” smartphone restrictions that were implemented at the start of the 2025 school year. After receiving over 350 survey responses from schools across the state, the Governor’s office said that 92% of schools reported a smooth transition to a distraction-free policy, 83% reported more positive classrooms and better student engagement, and 75% reported improvement in their ability to teach effectively.

“Our kids are finding greater success in the classroom when they’re focused on learning, not scrolling,” Governor Hochul said. “This year, I was proud to champion a statewide distraction-free schools initiative, working hand-in-hand with New York teachers, students, and parents to create a policy that works for each community across our state.”

Sullivan West Secondary School Principal David Eggleton offered some insight into how the cell-phone ban is affecting students here in Sullivan County. 

“Our students have embraced the new policy,” Eggleton said. “We had some pushbacks in the first few days of school, but with clear and consistent communication we were able to implement it. Our students appear to be more focused and actively engaged in class compared to previous years when phones were allowed.” 

Eggleton added that transitions between activities ran more smoothly without interruptions caused by cell phones and concluded, “overall, it has enhanced both teaching efficiency and student learning.”

Eggleton said there were only a few incidents of student noncompliance this year, and Superintendent Dr. Kathleen Bressler reported less than 10 offenses per month across the school district, which serves approximately 1,000 students. 

Enforcement of the ban, which applies to all internet-enabled devices including cellphones, watches, glasses, earbuds, and tablets, follows a 5-level tiered disciplinary system that is clearly outlined on the Bulldogs’ website. 

“Most of the time, if at all, students receive a Level-1 violation which is a reminder that the devices should be stored in their personal lockers. This is documented to review if students have been repeat offenders for the future,” said Eggleton. 

At each level, noncompliance results in incrementally increased punishments involving guardians being notified, and students will eventually lose the privilege to bring an internet-enabled device to school for the remainder of the academic year after five infractions.

To ensure a smooth transition to a cell-phone-free learning environment, Bressler met last spring with the student cabinet, composed of class presidents and student board members, to get feedback on the then-proposed law, at which time the students expressed reservations. 

When Bressler circled back with the cabinet in the fall, their attitude towards the law had improved. “They were positive about the change when we met in September, stating that it was going better than they had anticipated in the spring,” said Bressler.

Eggleton and Bressler agreed that the new policy increased focus in the classrooms but qualified their praise of Hochul’s law with caveats. Eggleton said, “We believe that this law is still a work in progress for school districts. There are many positives to this new approach with more focus in our classrooms. However, we also have some areas to work on such as quick communication from students to their guardians without interrupting the academic day being removed.”

Bressler said the new policy is a great step to help students focus on learning but that more needs to be done to address larger mental health concerns when they are not in school. “We only have them for about eight hours a day and we still see the effects from issues that start outside of the school day on phones and social media. That should not be forgotten,” she said.