EAST WILLIAMSBURG, Brooklyn (WABC) — New York Gov. Kathy Hochul had a special friend join her for the first day of school for New York City students on Thursday.
Mascot Frankie Focus joined the governor at M.S. 582 in East Williamsburg as the new bell-to-bell cellphone ban goes into effect across the state.
He was on a special assignment: to get students excited about not having their cellphones in school.
“I’ve got a friend here, one of my best friends who I want you to get to know, Frankie Focus, he’s introduced here today for the very first time,” Hochul said. “He doesn’t say a lot, he’s kind of quiet … But he is very focused on learning in school, focused on the teachers, focused on making friends.”
Susan Watts/Office of Governor Kathy Hochul
Hochul previously spoke to Eyewitness News about the phone ban and said she believes it will be transformational and a “profound change” for students.
She told the students at M.S. 582 that the ban will help them keep learning in a distraction-free environment.
“You don’t realize it right now, but at the end of this school year, you’re going to be happier, have more friends, be smarter, and that’s what we’re here in school for,” she told the Bulldogs on Thursday morning.
The middle school will use Yondr pouches for students to keep their phones locked up for the day.
Susan Watts/Office of Governor Kathy Hochul
———-
* Get Eyewitness News Delivered
* Download the abc7NY app for breaking news alerts
Submit a tip or story idea to Eyewitness News
Have a breaking news tip or an idea for a story we should cover? Send it to Eyewitness News using the form below. If attaching a video or photo, terms of use apply.
Copyright © 2025 WABC-TV. All Rights Reserved.