BINGHAMTON, N.Y. (WBNG) — The morning bell has rung on Governor Hochul\u2019s cell phone ban in public schools. Starting this year, students across New York state will be prohibited from cell phone use throughout the school day. <\/p>\n
Around the Southern Tier, schools like Owego Free Academy and Principal Phil Schofield have been figuring out how to facilitate these policies. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve been preparing for this for over a year now,\u201d Schofield said. \u201cWe knew a lot of neighboring schools that have been going down that road, understanding that the state was going to be coming out with some pretty strict guidelines.\u201d<\/p>\n
To ensure state policies are being followed, several schools are implementing new \u201cYondr\u201d pouches to hold students\u2019 phones throughout the school day. <\/p>\n
\u201cStudents are assigned a Yondr pouch; they enter with some staff who is there watching them enter the building, putting their phones in their pouches,\u201d Schofield said. \u201cThey remain locked throughout the day, and at the end of the day, we have unlock stations spread out throughout both the middle school and the high school.\u201d<\/p>\n
Students we spoke to at Binghamton High School said so far, the ban is working exactly as the Governor intended.<\/p>\n
\u201cI get why they banned the phones, because kids weren\u2019t really concentrated, not me, really either,\u201d said Malik Al-Sarman. \u201cEver since the phone ban, I\u2019ve been concentrating a lot more in school, trying to focus on my life. Trying to be a better me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Others, while understanding the necessity for these changes, see the rule of no phones through the school day to be too much.<\/p>\n
\u201cEspecially with seniors, they want to photograph what they\u2019re doing and stuff,\u201d said Layla Dimon. \u201cBut they can\u2019t, because we can\u2019t have phones.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have family and parents too,\u201d said Kamari Goodman. \u201cGod forbid something happens to them while we\u2019re in school, we have no way to know about that. I feel like there\u2019s things we can do to make it not so harsh.\u201d<\/p>\n
Schofield said students can come to the office to use their phones to make a phone call if it is needed, and parents can call the main office if they need to contact their child. <\/p>\n
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