Cell Phone Restrictions
Active
20 meetings ·
2024-12-05 to 2026-07-16
New York State cell phone legislation requiring distraction-free learning policies, tracked from state advocacy through legislative debate to building-by-building rollout at CET, PVC, and CHHS with mixed reception.
Timeline (20 meetings)
Dec 5, 2024
Board of Education
so students will fill out their application and submit all documentation required to complete their application and WCC will leave all application fees that day so if you're interested you can sign up on Naviance by Friday with December 6th which is …
Ed Riely spoke in support of the Board addressing speakers, concerns about DEI policies, and suggested that the consent agenda should be displayed more clearly.
Report: 5.2 Board Reports
Advocacy: Committee Chair Theo Oshiro stated that the commit…
Jan 9, 2025
Board of Education
Yeah. Briefly, the last two topics of conversation in the advocacy committee have been the regionalization efforts, which we discussed today as well as the cell phone use policy at the state level, and we obviously talked to regionalization today. Lo…
been this one? It's gonna be on. Okay. Monitoring just any any murmurs coming out of Albany. Yesterday was the first day of session, so not much happened aside from ceremonial things. The state of the state is happening on the fourteenth where we mig…
Ed Reilly spoke to recommend that admin/board members use microphones more effectively. He also spoke about policies regarding students and health, HS history and English departments' use of written materials, the 50th anniversary of Vietnam War, t…
Feb 13, 2025
Board of Education
And that the logistics of that has not yet been shared. Also, distraction free learning, which requires districts to adopt a policy banning the use of cell phones during the day. There is a $13,500,000 allocation for storage devices and other other i…
So we held a meeting of the advocacy committee on February 11 and, did several things. One was to review the governor's budget, which I will not go over in detail since Denise, did so in her presentation. But, you know, we covered a lot of the things…
I believe there's one happening tomorrow with, senator Pete Hartland, a state level senator, and started to just, create a list of items that we wanna bring to elected officials, during the legislative session. So questions around things like the cel…
I think I think we we should wait until so Sarah's attending the meeting with senator Huckabham tomorrow, and it might make sense to do our legislative advocacy update after that so we can go over what she's able to cover tomorrow. I attended the mee…
And, also, there will be at the March on the thirty first will be a 7PM webinar, so the annual panel discussion. And this year is a very timely timely discussion on students' social media and cell phones. So given given the the potential cell phone b…
Advocacy Committee: Advocacy Committee Chair Theo Oshiro reported that they met 2/11/25 and reviewed governor's budget. They are getting more info about cell phone policy, as some aspects remain unclear (e.g., how the rule applies on buses). There …
Board Trustee Sarah Carrier reported that she listened to NYSSBA capital conferences, and that a recording was sent out. The 1/30 LHEC annual legislators' forum was well attended with good discussion about governor's budget and LHEC's priorities. Up…
Mar 13, 2025
Board of Education
Haver and his efforts both with BOCES and through scholarships to train students to do the practical skills they will need to do throughout their life and to keep their wife happy, in my case. On a more serious note, I'm not gonna talk about it now. …
Advocacy. So we have actually not had a meeting since our February, I believe, twelfth meeting. So we reported on on that meeting already at the last business meeting. We do have a meeting coming up on the seventeenth, so this coming Monday, and we'l…
Yep. Alright. So I would love to just remind everyone that we do have a Westpac actually, it's I believe the last money talks. Presentation is tomorrow. You may still be able to sign up, but it is cutting it a little close. But I did wanna draw every…
Mr. Ed Riely recommended that the district consider starting a student club to support the Fuller Center (Habitat for Humanity) and that the district develop a policy regarding TikTok and cell phones. Textbooks should be examined for anti-population…
Resolution: RESOLVED: That the Board of Education hereby approves the minutes of the February 27, 2025 work session as presented.
Motion by Sarah Carrier, second by Anamika Bhatnagar.
Final Resolution: Motion Carried
Yes: Anamika Bhatnagar, Sarah …
Apr 10, 2025
Board of Education
Thanks, Anna. So March we had our last meeting on March 17, and discussed the senate at at that point, the senate and assembly, one house budget that had come out and reviewed the just the summary on on state aid and what the senate and assembly prop…
Okay. So I was able to attend the webinar on March 31 that West Putt had hosted with Deborah Heitner, who's the author of Growing Up in Public, a discussion that largely centered around cell phones, social media, our students, and also the implicatio…
Advocacy: Advocacy Committee Chair Theo Oshiro reported that the committee met 3/17, discussed state budgets from senate & assembly and cell phone policy updates. He asked about meetings with legislators, in that WPSBA typically puts together these m…
Board Trustee Sarah Carrier reported that she attended a webinar 3/30, sponsored by WPSBA: Growing up in Public regarding cell phones and social media. She noted that upcoming events include an EdLaw Lunch & Learn on 4/25, a NYSSBA lunchtime webinar…
May 8, 2025
Board of Education
March 26. We met on May 1, and our next meeting is scheduled for June 2. Policy will be dealing with number of issues that have some immediacy, some of which have been brought up first reading. One couple of items that I want to mention that there ha…
And so when I have proposed or will propose at the June 2 meeting, presuming this is adopted, that the statute is adopted, and that those changes be incorporated into how the revised code of conduct in addition to a policy specifically on the use of …
in the legislation for bring your own There are guidance. If there is a specific educational purpose. So, you know, that's something that will need to be worked out in policy and will have to be worked out with, you know, with the Alright. You know I…
Communication: Communication Committee Chair Sarah Carrier reported that the committee has not met since last meeting. The next meeting is to be scheduled. She thanked Assistant Superintendent Denise Harrington-Cohen, Technology/Communications Spec…
Jun 12, 2025
Board of Education
Susan Skrelja stated that she is indifferent to the contract but the Board has an obligation to explain the development of the decision process. We must use our resources and communities, (e.g., open forums) for decisions. She mentioned the phone ba…
Policy Committee Chair Neal Haber noted that revisions to this code of conduct were discussed and approved by policy committee, reviewed by council and bargaining units. Many revisions are cleaning up language, (e.g., duplication of language on pgs. …
Jul 10, 2025
Board of Education
The District has incredible potential and can return to previous splendor.
Ed Riely stated that the board has a record of messing up social media policy. The District should've had cell phone policy before state legislature made it necessary. The …
The original cellphone policy was established in 2017. LHEC is trying to get the deadline moved out.
Board Trustee Sarah Carrier noted that the LHEC met 7/8 mostly concerning this guidance. Policies should be developed with local stakeholder input,…
Aug 7, 2025
Board of Education
Ms. Teague and Board Vice President Anamika Bhatnagar attended the Croton Police event this past weekend
Report: 2.2 Hearing of the Public
Jill Anderson spoke to support the bell to bell cell phone ban. She is concerned about teacher permission e…
Some committees, activities, certain classroom activities may warrant the use of them. Master schedule has 1 lunch period -- the concern is making it an inviting place if no cell phones allowed. There are no lockers at HS which raises the question of…
Motion by Omar Mayyasi, second by Anamika Bhatnagar.
Final Resolution: Motion Carried
Yes: Anamika Bhatnagar, Neal Haber, Omar Mayyasi, Allison Samuels, Ana Teague
8. Closing of the Meeting
Procedural: 8.1 Hearing of the Public
Jill Anderson spo…
Sep 4, 2025
Board of Education
Leslie Pollak reported that the Village of Croton has endorsed a definition of IHRA and asks if the school will follow suit. She is requesting a response.
Kara Read, parent of 2, stated that she is discouraged by the cell phone policy. She asked w…
Filomena DiMarco, Student Ex-officio Trustee, reported on the following topics:
New physical changes in school -- ILC, cafeteria -- are so impressive and students are gathering there...the ILC feels like a college campus.
New Spencer Field is amazi…
Oct 9, 2025
Board of Education
Kara Read spoke to support the focused learning environment that can be achieved with bell to bell cellphone ban. She wants to ensure that the policy is effective. Students shouldn't have responsibility to manage their phones, nor should teachers. …
She asked for feedback about how the current system was decided upon and how it is monitored.
Shauna Usiak spoke to support the cell phone ban, citing evidence of positive impacts on students, and the results of the CHUFSD community survey. She fee…
The research, data and community are aligned, and the district needs to respond.
Jill Anderson, of the Croton Community Collective spoke to advocate for cellphone free classrooms, limiting technology in the classrooms, and including more real world,…
Ms. Bhatnagar couldn't attend the Village's Bicycle Pedestrian Committee, but had wonderful a conversation with 5 corners crossing guard, Chuck, in which he was commended for his work. Ms. Teague reported on the PVC Building Planning Council where th…
Nov 6, 2025
Board of Education
HS PTSA 12/9 6:30, hosted faculty lunch at CHHS, hosting breakfast for Hall of Distinguished Graduates on 11/24.
PVC PTA: next meeting on 11/17, planning upcoming events
CET PTA wrapping up bookfair, hosting movie night 11/7
CHEF Dine A Round th…
Dec 4, 2025
Board of Education
Clare Benoist spoke re: personal electronic devices. She reported that she is sad to learn how much time her young children are spending on the screen at school. She is requesting the results of a study that asked students to track screen time.
Ji…
She urged district to contribute to the program.
Annie Vallo reported that she has a child at UPK and has witnessed firsthand how important UPK is for future success. UPK should not be seen as separate from K-12 and asked for commitment from distri…
Jan 8, 2026
Board of Education
So one of the other ongoing conversations in the district for the better part of a year or so now has been I think what we are all experiencing as a society and in our classrooms and our lives which is the saturation of screen time and technology use…
Broadly the the feedback from the faculty is that it's going very very well. The number of distractions related to cell phone use in the building have decreased significantly from last year not that they were ever a regular part of the classroom inst…
the only time that really I've seen anyone on it is during our off campus lunch where we're paying with Apple Pay at pre-show or something like that just I think everyone thought it was going to be a lot worse than it was coming into it. I think espe…
I can count on one hand the number of cell phones that I've had to take this year so far and in those situations they've been very respectful conversations. But I think from like a more regional perspective this is the topic of all of our principals …
Now I I just like to reiterate how thoughtful the administration was in considering especially the high school students feelings and the relationships that teachers have with students and the nature of implementing the ban and how kindly and gracious…
So what I think the takeaway that many of us felt was that these are folks who are really thinking very seriously about their relationship with technology and have been doing so even before the state mandate on the cell phone thing sort of came down.…
So, I think to be able to hear directly from you about sort of what your experiences are has really great really great value as we, again, do the work of the board, but also for like our community and for our parents. I know for the CET parents that …
And so, really what I was hearing from that is as much as we could put a proscription, a prohibition on the use [clears throat] of this particular form of technology, it really comes back to the parents and the community are to kind of develop norms …
ELA Regents as Compared to NYS
English Regents Ranking within Region: 2024-25
Global Regents Scores as Compared to NYS
Global Ranking in Region
AP Exams Offered At CHHS
AP Course Enrollment 2021-2025
English AP Average Scores
AP Calculus AB/BC…
Apr 21, 2026
Board of Education
Shifting gears again to the topic of technology in our schools. Again, one of the ongoing conversations that have been a part of the system for a good deal of time now. So, you know, the board had the opportunity to spend some time with doctor Moskow…
Leslie Pollack thanked the BOE for valedictory ceremony for son Jeremy. She has a problem with equity in the district. How did the Superintendent pick community members for committees? In past years, there were roundtables for participation. Every p…
Students should have the same access to opportunities as every other student in Westchester County.
Ed Riely spoke how it was good to see students walking in town. Over past 30-40 years, public schools have promoted the idea that kids are the popula…
Commended district on cell phone policy, but it has come in too late.
A parent of a kindergartner spoke regarding what her daughter has been watching in school every single day -- videos of books read by celebrities, low-quality, high stimulation vi…
May 7, 2026
Board of Education
Dan Zeliger, spoke to represent Croton Community Collective, whose goals are: 1. to keep smartphones out of childhood 2. to advocate for phone-free schools 3. to foster community culture that values free play, etc. They're not anti-tech -- it should…
May 12, 2026
CHUFSD Board of Education Candidate Forum 5/12/26
Before we begin tonight, please remember to turn off your cell phones or at least put them on mute and any other personal electronic equipment.
Jun 4, 2026
Board of Education
um you know, a cell phone ban in a high
that the cell phone ban happened this
Jun 11, 2026
Board of Education
phones in a cell phone box um or cell
policy, a cell phone box policy, a
previously had cell phone boxes similar
don't place their cell phones in the
box, they truly don't have cell phones
putting their cell phone in the caddy.
phone policy um being thrust upon us. Um
with the classroom cell phone boxes too.
having cell phones, not having cell
reliance on cell phones if if the way
with cell phones. So the idea of just
I will call an absolute cell phone pan
cell phones by individuals at various
like the use of cell phones but also
so excited about these cell phones but
when the cell phone was really more
that anymore with the cell phones policy
Families value the flexibility and trust.
Student Ex-officio Trustee Filomena DiMarco agreed that students are more willing to pay attention in class without their phones, and they'll be less willing to comply if tighter restrictions are put in plac…
Jul 16, 2026
Board of Education
We're minimize the impact financial impact to the village and to the school district. But the taxpayers of this state paid $3,000,000 for buses that should have cost less than 1,000,000 because it become a fashionable idea that people demanded. It. A…
Regular Meeting
Procedural: 7.01 Hearing of the Public
Jill Anderson spoke to congratulate new and existing BOE members and thank them for their service. Croton Community Collective goal is to build children's healthy relationships with technology,…