Thursday, October 1, 2026
Locust Valley High School will fully implement a bell-to-bell ban on student smartphones and personal electronic devices during the school day starting this fall, aligning itself with a new statewide mandate from Albany.
At the June 11 Board of Education meeting, Principal Patrick DiClemente outlined the school’s evolving approach to phone use on campus and praised the district’s proactive stance on the issue. The new policy, he said, reflects both state regulations and a local commitment to improving student focus and well-being.
“Locust Valley has been out front,” DiClemente said. “Our Board of Education and supervisors have said, ‘Hey, let’s get going with this. If this is in the best interest of students, we don’t need to wait for a mandate or a regulation.’”
The new state policy prohibits the use and possession of phones and internet-enabled devices, including smartwatches and laptops, for the entire school day. DiClemente explained that “from the beginning of first period to the end of ninth period, phones are not permitted.”
Exceptions will be made for students with documented medical needs. DiClemente noted, for example, that one student he meets with is diabetic, and uses his phone to monitor his blood sugar levels.
DiClemente emphasized that the school’s approach is intended not to punish students, but rather to cultivate a learning environment that fosters connection, mindfulness and academic engagement.
The district has been gradually preparing for the transition since the summer of 2023. Initially, the high school took “incremental steps,” DiClemente said, by requiring phones to be put away in classrooms but allowing them in study halls and the cafeteria. Now the policy will shift toward a full-day “distraction-free focus,” he said.
The transition has been informed by meetings with students, staff and parents, which will continue throughout the summer.
“We have a meeting with a student group,” DiClemente said. “And one of the best things about our end-of-year faculty meeting is the opportunity for feedback. Anybody who’s interested will be welcome to the conversation.”
The success of the policy, he said, “is directly related to the cooperation and partnership among everyone involved with our school.”
DiClemente also addressed a common concern among parents: how to get in touch with their children in an emergency. The school has bolstered its use of ParentSquare, a centralized communication platform, to ensure that important messages get through. The use of the app “has been a real upgrade for us,” he said.
Students will still have access to phones when necessary, particularly in school offices, where staff members are trained to help in sensitive situations.
As part of the implementation, students will be expected to store their phones in lockers during the school day. DiClemente made clear that the district does not intend to spend money on locking pouches or outside equipment.
“We have the devices that we need,” he said. “We have a locker for every student, and the phone is going to go in the locker.”
He added that only 20 to 30 percent of students currently use lockers, but the school staff is working to “reacclimate” them to using them more regularly. In addition to policy enforcement, DiClemente said, the school is focused on promoting a cultural shift toward presence and awareness.
“Let’s have students live in the moment — among others, whether it’s students or staff,” he said. “We want our students to go outside. Being outside, away from a phone that’s in a locker, is really like a dynamite situation.”
He also spoke about supporting students who may struggle with the transition. Responses will range from one-on-one conversations to involving parents and, if necessary, confiscating devices.
“The approaches are exactly what all of us in our community should expect,” he said. “They’re kind, they’re respectful, they’re demanding and they’re reasonable, and they’re progressive.”
Board of Education members expressed their support for the administration’s work and the broader goals of the policy.
“Together we’re giving our children a gift of presence and awareness,” board Trustee Holly Esteves said. “We’re helping them re-establish their connections with their peers, and I just think there’s a world of good to come from this.”
DiClemente closed his remarks at the meeting with reflections on change and resilience. He used the term amor fati, a concept touched on by philosophers like Epictetus, Marcus Aurelius and Nietzsche.
“It’s a Latin phrase that means an attitude where one accepts and even embraces experience in life, regardless of feeling whether it’s positive or negative, as being essential and valuable,” DiClemente said. “Even if they’re uncomfortable with this at the start, we’re going to grow together, and it’ll be a better situation in the world.”
The full transition to the bell-to-bell ban will occur over the course of the 2025–26 school year. School officials plan to continue gathering feedback and adjusting the implementation as needed.
