BAY RIDGE — While most students across New York State are getting used to the new cell phone ban, children at one Diocese of Brooklyn school have a bit more freedom.
Xaverian High School in Bay Ridge does not order students to hand over their cell phones when they enter the building, nor does it mandate that students store the devices in their lockers.
Instead, the school allows its sixth- to 12th-grade students to keep their cell phones with them at all times but prohibits their use during class. Students are only allowed to use their phones during lunch and free periods.
“We certainly understand and agree with the concerns people have about cell phone use by students and the effect it can have on them. But we’re also looking at this as a teachable moment for our kids,” Xaverian Principal Daniel Sharib said. “We want to work with them to help them become responsible digital citizens.”
He noted that the school’s approach is in line with the realities of modern life.
“We live in a digital world,” he said, noting that Xaverian has not had any issues with cell phone use so far this year. “When they leave high school, the world isn’t going to take their phones from them.”
Elsewhere in New York State, students are adjusting to a new reality.
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The start of the school year marked the beginning of a new phone-less era in public schools. Gov. Kathy Hochul announced the ban last spring and worked with the state legislature to include $13.5 million in the budget to help schools implement the ban.
Although the ban does not apply to private or religious schools, many Catholic schools in Brooklyn and Queens also prohibit the devices.
St. Francis Preparatory School in Fresh Meadows implemented a ban at the start of the school year. Per the policy, students are required to store cell phones in their lockers.
“It’s still early, but we’ve had success with it up to this point in time,” St. Francis Prep Principal Patrick McLaughlin said, adding that their students have a high level of compliance.
Nazareth Regional High School in East Flatbush recently started its third year with a ban. Students must deposit cell phones in a lock box in homeroom each morning. At the end of the day, there is a brief, two-minute homeroom to allow students to retrieve their phones.
Nazareth Regional High School has seen benefits to students, said Principal Robert DiRe.
“The reason we did it is to get more of their academic attention. But we noticed immediately that we saw an increase in their social education in the cafeteria and during free periods,” DiRe said. “Students were doing group work, interacting with each other, having fun, and playing games instead of staring at their phones.”