Most teachers support cellphone bans, but not always the ones in place

September 17, 2024 Brooklyn Eagle Staff

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CITYWIDE — A MAJORITY OF NYC TEACHERS SUPPORT CELLPHONE BAN, but say policies already in place have failed, according to a new survey that the United Federation of Teachers released on Monday, Sept. 16, report the union and Gothamist.

The survey found that 63% of city public school educators responded in support of a citywide ban on cell phones. 40% of respondents whose schools had already implemented bans said those policies failed due to insufficient planning and organization. The teachers also mentioned challenges inherent in rolling out a policy system-wide in the nation’s largest school system. Teachers responding to the survey said that in the 49% of schools banning students’ mobile phone use during the school days, more policies failed than succeeded. Respondents pointed out that, while a policy of keeping phones in schoolbags worked for elementary school children, locking the devices worked better for kids in older grades. UFT President Michael Mulgrew said the Department of Education, not individual schools (often with strained budgets), should be paying for secure storage equipment. Mulgrew also emphasized that “parents need to be brought into discussion” about how bans would work.

Mulgrew added that schools must develop clear plans for handling emergencies. For example, in school shootings across the nation, the first line of communication to parents has often been the text messages from students in lockdown.

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