Stuyvesant Enacts New DOE Device Ban for The School Year

On September 4, Stuyvesant High School implemented a bell-to-bell ban on personal, internet-enabled devices during the school day. This follows New York State Governor Kathy Hochul’s announcement last spring of the policy for all public schools. Restricted devices include cellphones, tablets, smartwatches, and laptops. 

Students are expected to keep devices such as phones and smartwatches stowed away in internet-blocking velcro pouches distributed on the first day of school. There are exceptions to the device ban concerning medical needs, approved educational uses, student caregiver responsibilities, and translation services. Otherwise, personal device usage is forbidden in the building during normal school hours—8:00 a.m. to 3:35 p.m. 

The administration has carved out the library as a space to use school devices. Students who leave the school building during free and lunch periods are allowed to use their devices freely. Due to the digital nature of certain assignments, teachers are also permitted to let students use their devices for educational purposes within the classroom. 

Stuyvesant is significantly larger than most NYC schools in terms of both student enrollment and building size, which makes enforcing the ban more challenging for administrators. According to the Chancellor’s Regulation A-413, the consequence for illegal device use is up to each school’s discretion. As such, Stuyvesant hosted a School Leadership Team (SLT) meeting to discuss these challenges and begin planning a school-specific implementation strategy on May 20. 

In this meeting, participants discussed many possibilities: Yondr pouches, which are small pouches that use magnetic locks to prevent access to phones inside; large collection boxes; and device storage in lockers. However, they decided that many solutions would not work due to Stuyvesant’s size as well as other restrictions, such as two-factor authentication for stuy.edu email accounts.

Another idea proposed at the meeting was a school-wide community day. “I was just thinking [about] if we had another community day [...] phone-free. I think that would be really beneficial—the same idea that if students go and talk to each other they’ll realize that it’s actually nice to go and talk without your phone,” former Student Union President Madeline Goodwin said.

The idea of a phone-free “community day” received largely positive responses at the SLT meeting, but some students offered a different perspective. “I don’t think students are going to listen to the teachers, and I don’t think that it’ll work because students are in their own groups and they won’t want to socialize with other people,” junior Millan Bisegna said.

In mid-August, The Student Union sent out a clarifying announcement explaining the specifics of the ban: “September is a trial month to see how well self-regulating works. If students do not adhere to these rules during the first month, administration will have no choice but to begin checking cameras, and regardless of how tedious this is, deans and teachers will go to your location and take away your device.” Principal Seung Yu and Parent Coordinator Dina Ingram also sent out an announcement saying much of the same, requesting that students and parents hold all questions until the start of the school year.

At Camp Stuy Part II, where incoming freshmen students became oriented with Stuyvesant, guidance counselors and administrators expressed that there will be growing pains during this transition. Dr. Yu and Ingram clearly reiterated the policy via email on September 3. As students return to school, Dr. Yu expressed hope for the new policy and asked that students make the best of the new school year.