Public School Cell Phone Ban Voted On By Patch Readers: What You Decided

NEW YORK CITY — This year, New York City public school students are following new rules to keep their cell phones locked away during the school day, and 923 Patch readers voted on whether it's a good idea in our survey.

As part of the new policy, schools are required to provide at least one method for families to contact their children in case of an emergency. The new policy will be in effect for 1,800 public schools citywide.

Of the 923 readers who took the survey, a sweeping majority of 86.02 percent (794 votes) said they support the ban, and 10.73 percent (99 votes) said they do support the ban.

The other roughly 3 percent of voters wrote their own responses, many of which said they do not support the ban as-is for safety reasons, but might support a slightly different, more nuanced version of the ban.

Editor's note: To respond to the survey, only one vote per IP address was allowed. Patch did not collect any demographic data from the voters, so analysis is limited. Just enjoy the ride.

Some voters made suggestions to meet in the middle.

"'Dumb phones' (which allow calling only; no internet) should be allowed, for safety and security," one vote reads.

"How about 3 days a week?," another reads.

Others suggested that safety and school shootings are important reasons for students to have their phones in school.

"NYC is not like upstate NY, it is very dangerous and kids need their phones in case of an emergency. If there is an emergency there is too many students for the school to let students call parents or 911. They barely call you when your child is sick," one voter wrote.

"It's a VERY BAD idea in light of all the school shootings in the past 10 years. I'm a Gen X, I hear folks saying "oh we didn't have cell phones and we survived". Yes it's true, but it was a different world then when not everyone it seems is armed and has mental health issues. I'm just so happy my daughter is now in college, where this rule doesn't apply," a voter wrote.

Other voters who filled out their own vote said they wouldn't support the ban, no matter what.

"No, because of all the shootings, that's been going on. How will the children be able to contact their parents? That's a bad idea," a voter wrote.

See the results of the survey below.

In addition to all types of cell phones, the ban will also target all internet-enabled devices like smart watches, computers or tablets, that are not school-issued. The ban also applies to game consoles and MP3 players, according to the NYC Department of Education.

The cellphone ban will include exceptions for students with disabilities and medical reasons, officials said.

"Our kids are in school to learn, but, too often, cell phones are used in manners that are distracting, degrading, and dangerous to our young people," Mayor Eric Adams said in a statement in July when the ban was authorized. "This new cellphone policy is the next step in ensuring students are given the best shot to succeed in school."

How phones will be collected and stored during the day will be up to individual school principals, officials said. Students who don't follow the new rules will be subject to escalating interventions and disciplinary actions. Find your school's specific policy here.

For questions and tips, email Miranda.Levingston@Patch.com.