Schools in New York City received millions of dollars in support to help them implement bell-to-bell phone bans this school year.
Every single public school in NYC is entitled to receive one-time funding amounting to $25.90 per student, and is determined by the number of students in grades three to 12. When it comes to the city's most densely populated schools, the funding would total massive amounts.
NYC Schools Receive Millions of Dollars for Cellphone Bans
Brooklyn Tech, which is the largest high school in the United States, will receive more than $145,000, while Francis Lewis High School in Queens will get more than $122,000. On the other hand, Brooklyn's James Madison High School will receive more than $110,000.
NYC is sending more than $16 million in funding to schools in support of the implementation of the cellphone bans. Officials previously earmarked $29 million to be used for the cause, with the city itself contributing $25 million and the state putting the remaining $4 million, according to Chalkbeat.
Officials with the Education Department, when asked about the discrepancy in funding, said that they plan to use the additional money to support schools as needs arise. The money would be used by schools to buy pouches or the setup of cellphone lockers from government-approved sellers.
These would include schools that already had cellphone bans in place before the funds were given out. Officials estimate that roughly 800 of the city's 1,600 schools have already collected cellphones or allowed their students to carry their mobile devices inside pouches.
The efforts mirror New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, who has repeatedly supported cellphone bans during the school day. NYC's rules will differ from school to school, and the Education Department said each institution will be responsible for developing its own policy regarding the matter, the New York Times reported.
The Effects of the Restrictions
Some students from different states have expressed their opinions on the effect of the cellphone bans in their schools, which reflects what NYC students can expect to see. One 17-year-old, Zach Mangino, who attends Wilton High School in Connecticut, said it was refreshing to walk around school and see students smiling and having conversations.
Before the bans, he said that the majority of the people around his school would be standing against the walls like zombies. They could be a foot away from each other, but they would not even say a word.
Hochul's reasoning for the statewide cellphone ban is to create distraction-free schools that allow students better opportunities for learning. A report, based on the governor's listening tour, highlighted the fact that American teenagers get pinged with an average of 250 notifications every day, as per the New York Post.
