Gov. Kathy Hochul on Sunday defended New York’s new bell-to-bell cellphone ban for classrooms, saying students are safer without phones during active-shooter situations because devices can reveal their locations and distract them from following instructions.
Hochul made the comments on Fox News Sunday after the statewide policy, which she signed in May, took effect last week in New York City and elsewhere across the state. Some parents criticized the abrupt change, saying they want the ability to contact their children during the school day in case of an emergency.
“I had the same fears,” Hochul said when asked about reporting that parents are worried the policy will prevent children from calling home during emergencies. “What I learned from law enforcement two years ago, the last thing your child should have in their possession, if there’s a shooter on campus or in the building, is a cellphone. That could telegraph where your child is. They need to be 100% focused on the adult in the room, that teacher who’s gone through countless hours of training.”
Hochul’s office cited law enforcement and education officials who say phones can cause pandemonium during fast-moving emergencies, fuel false alarms or emit noise and light that could make hiding students easier to find. New York State Police Superintendent Steven James previously said that mobile-phone use by students during a rapidly developing school emergency is a distraction that could compromise safety.
The ban is part of a broader trend: some 39 states have at least some restrictions on classroom cellphone use, and at least 18 states plus Washington, D.C., have enacted bell-to-bell bans that keep phones out of students’ hands during the school day. State officials and educators have pointed to research about phones’ impact on learning, including the influence of psychologist Jonathan Haidt’s book The Anxious Generation, which spurred lawmakers and school leaders to reassess device policies.
Opponents of the New York policy, including parents who want immediate lines of communication with their children, say the change heightens anxiety rather than eases it. “If somebody’s coming here and they shoot up the school, how is my kid gonna call me?” parent Ebony Holmes said, reflecting concerns heard at school board meetings and on social media.
Hochul acknowledged that “change is hard” and said she arrived at the decision after consulting law enforcement, educators and unions. Her administration highlighted a joint op-ed by Albany County Sheriff Craig Apple and New York State United Teachers President Melinda Person that argued phones can hamper students’ ability to receive correct information and stay aware of their surroundings during crises. The piece warned that electronic devices can make students easier to find by emitting sound or light when they are attempting to hide.
Officials said schools will maintain procedures for notifying families in emergencies and stressed that administrators and trained staff are responsible for relaying accurate information during incidents. Hochul also framed the ban as part of an effort to improve learning and social engagement, predicting students would become “smarter, more well-adjusted and more highly functioning adults” as a result of the policy.
Implementation has prompted logistical adjustments in New York schools, with administrators refining enforcement details and communication plans. Some districts have emphasized cell-phone storage solutions during the day, while others are clarifying protocols for health-related exceptions and emergency contacts.
Critics outside New York have argued that blanket bans can create unintended consequences, particularly in communities where families rely on phones for caregiving coordination. Supporters point to studies indicating improved test scores and classroom engagement in schools that limit device use.
As the new policy settles in, state officials and local leaders are expected to monitor its effects on classroom learning and school safety. Hochul said she does not make the decision lightly and framed the change as a long-term investment in students’ education and well-being.
