NEW YORK (WABC) -- New York Gov. Kathy Hochul on Tuesday unveiled a school cellphone ban during her budget address in Albany, a policy that she said would make classrooms distraction-free so children can focus on learning.
"We are not developing the skills we need because kids are distracted by the cellphones," Hochul said. "I am announcing today a proposal that will transform our classrooms, return them to a place of learning."
Every student will be required to disconnect from their devices during school hours, "bell to bell," as Hochul said.
By the start of every school year, every student will be required to disconnect from their devices during class, at lunch and in hallways.
"Our kids will be finally free from the endless disruptions from social media and all the mental health pressures that come from it," Hochul said.
The ban will include some flexibility, leaving it up to individual districts to decide how to implement, but every school district must establish a policy to help students thrive without their cellphones during class, Hochul said.
Hochul said there will be exemptions for students who need devices for medical reasons or to assist non-English language speakers or those with learning disabilities.
The governor's budget will allocate money to the districts to pay for whichever way they choose.
A handful of districts have already implemented restrictions on cellphones in classrooms, cafeterias and hallways.
Tech CEO Raj Goyle is the founder of Phone Free New York, a new advocacy group that's helping legislators and policy makers navigate the complex subject.
"We know, particularly for teenaged girls, there is a lot happening on social media, addicted to phone likes and the rabbit hole you can go down," Goyle said. "So we really want to have the school day where they can learn and socially interact."
The governor says the state will provide final support, roughly $13.5 million, to help schools with the transition and to get started.
Former NYC Schools Chancellor David Banks had been concurrently exploring a ban in city public schools, but Mayor Eric Adams said it required more study.
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