Three Village prepares for state-mandated bell-to-bell cell phone ban; district aims to implement by Aug. 1

Three Village Central School District trustees received an update Wednesday on steps the district must take to implement a statewide ban on student use of cell phones and other internet-assisted devices during the school day.

Superintendent Dr. Kevin Scanlon told the board the new requirement was included in the state budget and will prohibit students from using cell phones, smartwatches and similar devices "from bell to bell" beginning this September. "Basically, it's cell phones or any Internet assisted device or smartwatches are forbidden from bell to bell, meaning from the beginning of the school day to the end of the school day, and all schools in the state of New York starting this September," Scanlon said.

District staff said the timeline is compressed: the district must finalize code-of-conduct language, set designated areas where students may use devices (for example before school, after school and on buses), and identify exemptions for medical needs (IEP or 504 plans). Scanlon told trustees the attorneys have prepared revisions and the administration plans to present changes at the July 1 reorganization meeting so the policy can be communicated to families by Aug. 1.

Scanlon noted that elementary rules will remain unchanged but that middle and high school rules will now allow devices only before school, after school and on buses, and the district-issued Chromebooks remain permitted for classroom work. "The junior high schools, which will be middle schools next year, and the high school will be, yes, before school, yes after school, and yes on buses, but no throughout the course of the school day," he said.

Trustees discussed the operational challenges of enforcing a ban across multiple campuses and asked administration to proceed with timetable, communications and defined on-campus exceptions for students with documented medical needs. No vote was taken; the board scheduled legal review and a July 1 presentation so the district can meet the state-directed communication deadline.