SAANYS, NYSSBA, Superintendents Support Local Flexibility in School Smartphone Policies

SAANYS, NYSSBA, The Council of School Superintendents, and The Big 5 Conference issued a joint statement supporting both A.6547 & S.3006-B which prioritize local flexibility in school smartphone policies over a statewide mandate. Full statement below:

SUPPORT LOCAL FLEXIBILITY
IN SCHOOL SMARTPHONE POLICIES
A. 6547 (Benedetto)/S.3006-B (ELFA Article VII Bill)

Our groups, representing school boards, superintendents, and building administrators, and the state’s
largest school districts, favor the approaches to school smartphone regulation proposed by the Senate
and Assembly over that proposed in Governor Hochul’s Executive Budget.

Many school districts across the state have already adopted policies to address the harm that
inappropriate and excessive use of smartphones and similar devices can inflict upon the learning and
well-being of students. These policies were developed at local initiative, through processes achieving
local consensus, and tailored to address particular local concerns and priorities.

Both A.6547 (sponsored by Assembly Education Committee Chair Michael Benedetto) and S.3006-B,
Part C, Section 1 (Education Labor and Family Assistance Article VII bill) would require all school
districts, BOCES, and charter schools to follow similar procedures to develop smartphone policies
while avoiding the imposition of a one-size fits-all model upon the diverse communities that make up
our state. (A.6547 would also require nonpublic schools to adopt such policies.)

We commend Governor Hochul for casting a spotlight on this issue and for engaging with our groups
and with educators, parents, and students throughout the state. There is no debate that internet
distractions can hurt progress in learning and there is widespread recognition that smartphone use
during instructional time should be restricted, with exceptions such as those proposed by the
Governor.

But excessive and abusive internet use is not only a school problem, it can occur outside of school and
at any stage of life, with consequent harm to mental and emotional well-being. Young people need to
learn responsible use and schools should help. One way we can is through local policies which allow
at least some students—those in upper grades, for example—to learn to make decisions about when
and how they engage with the internet while in school but out of class. Both proposals from the
Legislature would permit local stakeholders to develop and adopt policies with that flexibility.

In recent years, community members have become increasingly resistant to prescriptive mandates
from the state and federal governments. The models offered in the Senate and Assembly bills would
give local people a greater say than the executive proposal, enabling them to decide on policies which
they determine can best serve students, families, and schools in their communities.