NEW YORK CITY (WABC) — School is back in session for nearly a million students in New York City, the nation’s largest school district.<\/p>\n
This year brings new changes, including seven new schools opening their doors for the first time, and a new statewide bell-to-bell cellphone ban.<\/p>\n
It will be quite the adjustment as students will not be allowed to have their cellphones while on school grounds for the entirety of the school day.<\/p>\n
Governor Kathy Hochul spearheaded the bell-to-bell ban and got involved to get it signed into state law. She believes this will only draw positive results.<\/p>\n
Each Department of Education school was required to come up with a protocol that works for their school community. There are certain guidelines all schools have to adhere to including:<\/p>\n
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UFT President Michael Mulgrew says for schools nailing these plans down, it may take a little time.<\/p>\n
“What was supposed to be going on over the past few days is that all the schools were supposed to be going over their plans and making sure that it was in effect and ready to go,” Mulgrew said. “But again, it’s probably going to take until about Thanksgiving until it calms down.”<\/p>\n
There’s a lot to follow with this new rollout and it is important to note there are exemptions for certain students.<\/p>\n
HBCU Early College Prep High School is one of seven new schools in the city. Mayor Eric Adams and Schools Chancellor Melissa Aviles-Ramos were there to welcome students back into the classroom.<\/p>\n
The mayor said it was important for him to be at HBCU on Thursday, because it provides a pathway forward allowing students to get a head start on college.<\/p>\n
Jaysha Patel reports from Elmhurst, Queens.<\/p>\n
Meantime, more changes are coming in the future when it comes to class sizes and school safety.<\/p>\n
The Department of Education has been reducing class sizes in accordance with a state mandate. The deadline is 2028.<\/p>\n
Mulgrew said this year 60% of classes will meet the state requirement of no more than 20 students in early grades, 23 in 4th through 8th grades, and 25 in high school.<\/p>\n
Thousands of teachers will need to be hired to accommodate smaller class sizes.<\/p>\n
As school doors open to students, safety is also a big priority.<\/p>\n
New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch and Mayor Eric Adams spoke about school safety on Eyewitness News.<\/p>\n
Adams said Tisch has a plan they’re rolling out to keep kids safe.<\/p>\n
“Starting on the first day of school, we are going to have hundreds of uniformed NYPD officers deployed on foot posts in corridors in and around schools. The corridors we know kids use to travel home after school. And it is all about creating a safe environment for our youth,” Tisch said.<\/p>\n
Meantime, Mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani and Mulgrew visited IS5 in Queens to welcome back students.<\/p>\n
At IS5, the UFT president says they have 12 new teachers. Their entire 1,100 student middle school will be 100% in compliance with the upcoming class size law.<\/p>\n
ALSO READ: Eyewitness News Back to School special<\/a><\/p>\n Eyewitness News dives deeper into cellphone policies, including the pros and the cons of bans, and the use of AI in the classroom in the special “Back to School: Phones, AI & Your Kids.”<\/p>\n ———-<\/p>\n * Get Eyewitness News Delivered<\/a><\/strong> <\/p>\n * More New York City news<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n * Send us a news tip<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n * Download the abc7NY app for breaking news alerts<\/a><\/strong> <\/p>\n * Follow us on YouTube<\/a><\/strong> <\/p>\n
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