De Blasio Lifts Cell Phone Ban in NYC Schools

by Rebecca Lewis | 01/07/2015 | 4:50pm

De Blasio Lifts Cell Phone Ban in NYC Schools

Kids will be able to bring their phones to school starting in March.

Mayor de Blasio announced on Wednesday that the city will lift the ban on cell phones in school. The action will affect over one million students.

De Blasio said the old policy was "out of touch with modern parenting."

“Parents should be able to call or text their kids.... Lifting the ban respects families, and it will end the unequal enforcement that has penalized students at so many high-needs schools," de Blasio said at a press conference Wednesday.

Under the current regulations, students must leave their phones at home or outside the building. If kids leave them outside the building, they often incur daily charges for storage.

If the Panel for Educational Policy approves the reform in February, it will take effect March 2.

The new changes would allow kids to bring their phones to school, but would allow individual schools to decide how and when they can be used. 

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