Personal Electronic Devices Restriction

In January 2025, Governor Kathy Hochul announced the Distraction-Free School Zones Policy as part of her legislative proposal for the 2025–2026 school year. This policy was included in the Governor’s budget and proposal, which was adopted in May and subsequently became law.

Any devices that are brought from home that are not district-issued devices.

Implementation begins in September 2025 for the 2025–2026 school year.

It refers to the terminology in Governor Hochul's legislation that addresses the "bell-to-bell" ban of personal electronic devices during the school day.

For our buildings, those times are:

• Lancaster High School and Lancaster Middle School:
  7:35 a.m. - 2:15 p.m.
• William Street School:
  8:35 a.m. - 3:15 p.m.
• Hillview Elementary and John A. Sciole Elementary:
  8:50 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.
• Como Park Elementary and Court Street Elementary:
  9:20 - 4:00 p.m.

No. Students are expected to use their district-issued Chromebooks, which provide access to the internet and all necessary educational platforms.

No. The expectation is that students will only be using district-issued devices.

Yes, students with unique circumstances (e.g., medical conditions) that require the use of a personal electronic device should contact their school to discuss setting up a plan.

Grades K–3: Families are encouraged to have students leave personal electronic devices at home.

Grades 4–12: Students will store their personal electronic devices in their school assigned, locked lockers during the school day.

Additional building-specific guidance will be shared by your student’s principal before the start of school.

School districts received funding from New York State to comply with legislation requiring the storage of personal internet-enabled devices. The NYS funding provided covered the one-time purchase of locks. The intent is for locks to be used now and for future students.

In accordance with our district safety plan, cell phone use is and has always been prohibited during emergency protocols.

In the event of a safety incident, parents/guardians should rely on official district communications. The district uses an automated mass notification system to share timely updates with parents, staff, and students. This system includes:

• Email

• Text messages

• Automated phone calls

• District website

• Social media platforms (where appropriate)

These channels are used to communicate school emergencies, closures, and other important announcements.

Parents/guardians may contact their student by:

• Calling the school’s main office to leave a message

• Dropping off a written note

• (For students in grades 7–12) Emailing their student’s district-monitored email address

Students may communicate with their parent/guardian by:

• Using the phone in the school’s main office (or classroom, when available and appropriate)

• (For students in grades 7–12) Using their district-monitored email address

Governor Hochul's legislation is directed at student use of personal electronic devices; it does not govern use by faculty and staff in our schools.  However, as always, faculty and staff should model positive behavior and have their personal electronic devices away during instructional time.

Enforcement will be managed at the building level. Students will be informed of specific enforcement procedures during the opening days of school, ensuring expectations are clearly communicated.

Yes, as part of the Governor’s legislation, school districts across the state will be required to annually publish enforcement on their website.