As the school cellphone ban took effect in Uniondale last month, many students thought it would be the end of the world. But according to PTA Council President Yasodra Romrookum, the transition has gone more smoothly than expected — and even brought some benefits.
“I’ve been hearing some positive things from social workers, saying that students are more engaged and they’re more focused,” Romrookum said.
Gov. Kathy Hochul implemented the policy, after saying in her January State of the State address that social media was harming students’ mental health and distracting them from learning.
At a Sept. 9 Board of Education meeting, district Superintendent Monique Darrisaw-Akil said that students are now communicating with one another. “We’re getting reports of laughter and talking in the cafeterias and the hallways,” Darrisaw-Akil said, “because they’re no longer looking at their phones.”
At Uniondale High, students are required to place their phones in Yondr pouches — soft, reusable cases with magnetic locks — when they enter the building. The pouches must be shown to staff member to confirm that they are sealed.
Students typically store the pouches in their lockers during the school day. At dismissal, they unlock the pouches by placing them on magnetic bases located throughout the school.
Student Board of Education member Valentina Goris confirmed Darrisaw-Akil’s observations, saying the cafeteria is louder than it used to be — a sign that of more face-to-face interactions.
And the impact of the policy is being felt beyond the cafeteria. Over the summer, participants in the district’s STEAM camp, “Irrigate, Innovate, Restore!” created a “smart” garden in the high school courtyard, which can only be accessed from within the building. Technology teacher Jack Drevnyck said that during its construction in July, the courtyard wasn’t being used at all. The goal was to create a space where students could spend time between lunch periods.
The garden, Drevnyck said, is now seeing plenty of use. Goris said that when she’s in the courtyard without her phone, it feels like “a different environment.” She said it feels more like a town or city park than a school.
“I knew the school year was definitely going to be a different atmosphere without our devices,” she said. “It ‘s been nice, having the courtyard now open.”
Not every student is complying
Despite the policy, some students are still trying to sneak phones in. Teachers and administrators say they have seen phones switched out from their assigned pouches. Romrookum said that students have tried to bypass the pouch system by bringing two phones.
“And they’re using fake phones to put in the pouch,” she said.
Goris said that this month, students have complied to a greater extent than they did in September. She believes they’re getting used to the new rules, and said she has “heard less complaining.”
Still, students have found ways to open the pouches despite the magnetic locks. YouTube and TikTok have featured videos with step-by-step guides for doing so — often labeled “Yondr hacks.”
However, the methods typically involve loud noises and visible damage, which make it clear the pouch has been tampered with.
Without phones, a shift in focus
Romrookum says her children are starting their homework earlier and getting school projects done on time. She is convinced that her daughter, Varsha — now a senior at Uniondale High School — was one of the many students who used their phones during free periods.
“They can do more activities, rather than sitting on their phones during lunches, you know, and scrolling and watching social media — whatever it is that they used to do,” Romrookum said.
Her son, Ashwin, a seventh-grader at Turtle Hook Middle School, had initial concerns. “He told me, ‘What am I gonna do during lunch?’” his mother recalled. “But he’s been managing fine — he comes home and he’s fine.”
Goris said she doesn’t feel an urge to unlock her phone during the school day, and doesn’t rely on her phone like she used to.
“I’m focused on schoolwork, I’m focused on emails, I’m focused on all of our classwork,” she said. “Of course, when it’s the end of the day, a lot of us just want to open up our phones and have it on us.”
But her need for a phone, Goris acknowledged, is mostly to contact her parents. “In most cases, it’s not really a sudden urge to get it,” she said.
The school ban doesn’t prevent students from contacting their parents — they just can’t do so with their own devices. If necessary, students must go to the administrator’s office to make a call.
Parents adjust, too
When the ban was first announced, some parents said they worried that they wouldn’t be able to reach their children during the day. But as the school year has progressed, many are finding that traditional communication through the main office works just fine — and might even lead to more structure at home.
“There were actually two parents on the high school PTSA board who were concerned — ‘Suppose I need to reach my student?’” Romrookum recalled. “But I told them, if you call the high school’s main office, the secretary probably knows your child and can find them quickly.
“Now my daughter gives me her schedule ahead of time, because she can’t just text me during the day,” she added. “It’s made her more responsible.”
Romrookum said that the ban may also reduce the risk of cyberbullying, a concern of many parents and school leaders.
“I do think that limiting the phone use during the school day would help reduce the risk of cyberbullying, which often occurs through social media,” she said. “This ban would contribute to having a safer and more supportive school environment.”
