Legislative Alert: March 21, 2025

President's Message

Support Bell-To-Bell Phone-Free Schools

Bell-to-bell cellphone policies require students to put away their phones for the entire school day (with logical exceptions) from the first bell that starts the school day to the last bell that dismisses them. This ensures that students remain engaged in their learning environment without the constant distraction of mobile devices and social media apps.

Cellphone restrictions in classrooms are good for instruction, but bell-to-bell restrictions throughout the day are what’s best for kids. Now that we know the harmful impact that constant exposure to cellphones and social media has on kids, we must address this issue in our schools.

Student phone and social media use is linked to increased anxiety, depression and social isolation. Removing phones during school hours gives students a necessary break from digital pressures.

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, research clearly indicates that phones are a distraction in school. The temptation to check notifications, social media, video games, and online videos can disrupt children and teens’ learning and distract other students around them. Phones can also be misused for cyberbullying through abusive texts, chats, social media or sharing pictures and videos of other students without their permission. 

Lunch, study halls, and free periods are when kids learn important social skills, like how to communicate and interact with other humans. When kids have the time to develop social skills outside the classroom — between classes and at lunch — they are better prepared to interact with their peers in class, improving their collaboration, problem-solving skills, and dispute resolution. 

Allowing cellphone use between classes puts the burden on individual teachers to collect, store and distribute personal devices for every class — wasting up to 20% of instruction time and creating unnecessary distractions in the classroom. A consistent, school-wide policy, developed with input from teachers and school employees, removes this burden and ensures classroom time is used for learning.

Mario Cilento, President

Upcoming Meeting

LABOR LOBBYISTS MEETING 
Monday, March 24, 2025, 1:00 p.m. 
This event will be located at the Albany office of the NYS AFL-CIO, 
100 South Swan St. Albany, NY. 
New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli will be the guest speaker. 
This meeting is for labor representatives only.