New York State’s bell-to-bell cell phone ban was signed into law on May 9, 2025. ICSD school district began its compliance last school year. From that time, every student has been required to place their phone in a velcro, signal-blocking pouch (branded Cyber Pouch) for the duration of the school day. State officials said the ban was intended to encourage students to socialize without being constantly distracted from their education by cell phones.
Within the district, at an administrative level, there is a substantial amount of satisfaction about the results of the phone ban. Boynton Middle School principal Lauren Wright said she noticed a significant increase in the number of students socializing with their peers and in class participation.
This change is reflected at a statewide level. Recently, Governor Kathy Hochul called the phone ban she put into law a “win” after she visited Schuyler Elementary in Bushwick. At the same time, a statewide survey reported increased levels of student participation and decreased levels of cell phone usage.
At IHS, data obtained by a survey conducted by the student representatives to the Board of Education (BoE) showed that 83.7 percent of students who responded claimed to use their phones rarely or never during class, which correlates with the statewide data. Roughly seven hundred students were polled, much of the roughly thirteen hundred students currently enrolled at IHS; however, one BoE representative admitted few students actually used the provided pouches.
The pouches are easily bypassed, as the velcro doesn’t close perfectly, and signals can still get through, enabling students to listen to music even when their phones are inside. And some students find problems with the idea of phone ban itself.
“Until I can no longer fear gun threats, I’ll still be using my phone in school,” said one student after being posed the question of whether the phone ban was effective. Some students still feel the need to urgently communicate with their parents, and, as a result, use phones at their personal discretion. “I think it’s a waste of resources, time, and energy because there are other issues much more important in this high school,” said Amelia Purser ’29. The State covered half the cost of the Cyber Pouches, each pouch cost roughly twenty dollars, so ICSD spent ten dollars per student last year. The district will continue to spend money on pouches for incoming students.
Many students feel more apathetic about the implementation of the phone ban, as people already following their school’s phone policy simply continued following the new one. They feel people who go out of their way to use their phones aren’t stopped by a mere velcro strap.
The cyberpouches were touted as a way to bring a distraction-free learning environment, but students have noticed they don’t really stop students determined not to participate. “I still see people on their phones all the time. And teachers just let it go,” said Wesley Gerber ’29.
But some students do see eye-to-eye with the district administration about the results of the phone ban. “I think students are connecting with each other more than in the past, but in terms of stopping student use, no,” said Alasdair Smith ’27.
The approaches schools have taken to implementing the phone ban have been subtly different. In nearby Utica, all phones are placed in magnetically sealed Yondr pouches and kept locked in a room for the duration of the day. Staff have to manually seal and unseal them at the start and end of the school day. Although the pouches are magnetically sealed, they’re kept in a locked room because they’re relatively easy to open if you have a magnet. Videos have circulated on social media of how to easily open such pouches. Compared to ICSD’s Cyber Pouches, these Yondr pouches cost more per student.
Some school districts have opted for smart lockers, a method that has been pushed for by ICSD school board member Todd Fox, who has criticized the Cyber Pouch, though a variety of ethical and legal concerns have been raised about these systems.
The BoE recently voted to change the phone ban policy before the school year started; but the efforts were tabled after school principals found the Board was acting with their input. Superintendent Luvelle Brown wanted to hire five new employees to enforce the collection and holding of cell phones for the duration of the school day, with an estimated initial cost of 500,000 dollars. The motion was ended on the grounds of lack of communication and the plan being “too hasty.” Although the governor has shifted her sight away from the phone ban, local implementation has far from resolved, and the tether between students and their devices may always remain to some extent.
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