Thursday, October 1, 2026
Long Island school districts will soon begin enforcing the state’s new distraction-free policy, restricting or prohibiting cellphone use in classrooms and on school grounds.
Local districts have begun submitting their plans and notifying residents about how they will implement the ban for the coming school year.
Hewlett-Woodmere school district officials have focused on developing a plan that works effectively for everyone involved. In a letter sent to residents on the district on July 29, Superintendent Dina Anzalone highlighted the importance of its implementation.
“This policy acknowledges the critical importance of maintaining a safe, focused learning environment where students can be fully present for their education,” Anzalone wrote. “Smartphones and social media platforms undermine essential developmental processes children need to become healthy, competent adults, including free play, face-to-face social interaction, and gradual independence.”
Hewlett-Woodmere will a grade-based implementation system, with different requirements at each level. At Hewlett and Ogden elementary schools and the Franklin Early Childhood Center, students must turn off their devices and keep them in their backpacks. Woodmere Middle School students must store devices in their lockers, and students at Hewlett High School students may use them during lunch but must store them in lockers during class.
To ease concerns about communication, the district has outlined ways for parents to reach students during the school day. At Franklin, the elementary schools and the middle school, parents can call the main office. At the high school, parents may also send messages using a district-provided email address.
Despite the district’s efforts to facilitate communication, some parents have taken to social media to express their concerns about not being able to contact their children directly.
Ella Schwartz, a member of the Hewlett-Woodmere District 14 Residents Facebook group, shared her apprehension about the new policy.
“As a parent, I feel strongly that I need to be able to get in touch with my student when I need to,” Schwartz wrote. “While I feel the constant bombardment of cell phone dings and social channels is destructive for our young people to learn effectively, I want my student to have the phone on his person at all times. We live in hard times and I need to know my student can reach me and I can reach my student when I need to.”
Other area districts have began distributing their plans for implementing the new policy. The Lawrence district did so in a letter posted to its website on Aug. 5.
Like Hewlett, the plan is grade-based: students at Lawrence High School and Middle School must store their devices in lockers, while students at Lawrence Elementary School are discouraged from bringing devices to school and required to keep those they do in their backpacks.
The district will also allow parents to contact their children by calling a school office or using a district-issued email address.
In a letter posted on its website on Aug. 5, the Lawrence district explained that devices can be distractions not only in the classroom, but also in emergency situations.
“These devices can create significant distraction to the school environment, negatively impact student mental health, contribute to disciplinary infractions, and reduce student engagement,” the letter stated. “Additionally, in an emergency, the use of personal electronic devices can distract students from following the directions of staff or emergency responders, contribute to the spread of misinformation, create congestion in the emergency response system, and interfere with the district’s emergency response protocols.”
Both districts will allow exceptions for students who need their devices for medical reasons.
Last month, Gov. Kathy Hochul met with administrators from several districts in Nassau and Rockland counties and New York City, all of whom, she said, expressed support for the policy. Area lawmakers have also done so.
State Sen. Patricia Canzoneri-Fitzpatrick said that as the policies take effect, it is critical for legislators to learn from them and work to make them as effective as possible.
“The focus now shifts to ensuring these policies are thoughtfully tailored at the local level to meet the diverse needs of students, including sensible exemptions for medical or other essential situations,” Canzoneri-Fitzpatrick wrote in a statement to the Herald. “As legislators, our job is to continue engaging with parents and educators to ensure this is implemented in a manner that works for everyone. My priority remains supporting school administrators and teachers in fostering focused, safe learning environments that uphold both safety and common sense, where students can thrive.”
