“Greetings Ps. 101 families. I hope you are doing well, and I hope you are having a fantastic summer. I wanted to give you some updates around what you’ve probably heard in the news regarding the new cell phone policy. Nutshell is, it is now law that students cannot have access to their phones from bell to bell, meaning from the moment they enter school to the moment they leave school.
All Internet connected devices such as cell phones, apple watches, smart watches, etc. must be locked up.
At Ps. 101, We’ve always had the policy of just turn off your cell phone and put it in your book bag. So we are going to expand on that process, meaning what we’re going to probably be doing is buying individual pouches that your child will put their cell phone inside, lock it up and then leave it in their book bag so their book bags will have their cell phones all day, and at the end of the day they can just remove them from the pouches. We are still exploring different types of pouches. Many of these pouches have magnetic locks at the top, and then we would have magnetic unlocking devices by every exit, or there might be a system that’s a little less controlled meaning, there’s just some Velcro or some other closing mechanism that keeps the cell phone pouch closed.
So again, the goal is that students will not have access to cell phones. Now, you, as a parent, will have to consider, Is it worth sending your child to school with a phone or smartwatch?
If your child walks home every day, I understand that you might want them to have a cell phone on them. If they’re going to an after-school program or an aftercare program, I get that you might want them to have a cell phone. However, if you’re just dropping them off and picking them up at the end of the day, do they really need a cell phone in school? Something for you to decide, something for you to consider. But in the end it’s about responsibility. Meaning is your child responsible enough to ensure they put away their phone before they enter the building and take it out at the end of the day, knowing that if they take it out anywhere during the day the cell phone will be taken away, and you, as a parent, will have to come up to the school to get it. There are disciplinary procedures around this, but we’re waiting for more information.
In general, our students are amazing! We have never really had a problem with this. So we are just leaning into the law at this point to ensure that we’re complying and doing what’s necessary, and as you know, as always the case, you can always call our school if you need your child. You can always contact our school at various numbers which are listed on our school website.
So that’s the update regarding the cell phone policy. We will of course, have more information as we get closer to September and in advance, I hope you have a fantastic August, and I will see you on the 1st day of school, which is Thursday, September 4th
Have an amazing rest of your day.”
PS 101 The Verrazzano School 