By ANTHONY IZAGUIRRE
Associated Press

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — Students throughout New York state might have to give up their cellphones during school hours starting next fall under a proposal announced Tuesday by Gov. Kathy Hochul.

The plan, which would require legislators' approval, would take effect in the next academic year and force students to disconnect from their phones and other personal devices while at school, including in class, during lunch and in hallways.

Hochul, a Democrat, has for months hinted at a potential ban and said limiting access to smartphones during school would help students focus in class and improve their mental health.

“We're not developing the skills we need because kids are distracted with the cellphones,” Hochul said at a news conference in Albany. “And how hard is it for our teachers, trying to teach algebra and geography, and they're competing with viral dances and messages from their friends and sometimes threats, bullying. How do you pay attention to the subject at hand when this is going on?”

At least eight states have enacted measures banning or restricting cellphones in schools, and several others have encouraged districts to enact restrictions or provided funding for equipment to store phones. At least three other governors have recently proposed similar school cellphone restrictions.

In New York, schools would have some flexibility over how to implement the proposal, with districts deciding how to store students' devices and other rules, according to the governor's office. Students who need access to devices for medical reasons, to help with learning disabilities or because they don't speak fluent English would be exempt.

Hochul announced the plan as part of her budget proposal for the coming year and said the state would provide $13.5 million to help schools implement the cellphone bans.

Legislative leaders in Albany appeared open to the proposal. Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, a Democrat, and Andrea Stewart-Cousins, the Democratic Senate majority leader, said students should be focused on learning and not distracted by cellphones, though both added that they understand parents want to be able to contact their children in case of emergencies.

Cellphone restrictions elsewhere have often run into opposition from parents who argue that they need to be able to reach their kids during emergency situations.

New York City, which has the largest school district in the country, was considering a school cellphone ban last year but abandoned the plan due to concerns from parents.

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