By Juliana Scarpelli
SUNY Albany
DELMAR — Schools across the Capital Region are seeing a livelier, more connected student body, cafeterias echoing with laughter, card games and even a few rounds of fruit bowling as students rediscover the art of simply talking to one another.
The statewide “bell-to-bell” phone and electronic ban began taking effect in New York at the start of this school year. School has been in session for about a month and a half and local high schools are already starting to see some improvements from this ban.
”Engagement is up. Participation is up. Classroom teachers are super in favor of this,” said Ravena-Coeymans-Selkirk (RCS) High School Principal Ryan Funck. “They are noticing an uptick in group work and classroom discussions.”
It’s a theme across the board in Capital Region districts.
“The hallways are noisier, the cafeteria is more engaging, kids aren’t burying their heads in their phones,” Joseph Hochreiter, Albany City School District Superintendent said. “They’re talking to each other.”
Over at North Colonie, Sam Dunsker, a student representative for Shaker High School, said during a Board of Education meeting earlier this school year that before the ban students used their cell phones to hide from one another.
Now, he said, students are reconnecting more with school and the community. It has changed Shaker for the better.
RCS Principal Funck recalled a similar observation in RCS High School. “There’s more conversation in the hallways and [students are] less like zombies walking with their noses in their phones listening to music,” Funck said. “The hallways are louder in between classes, but in a good way.”
Kara Granato, South Colonie Central School District Director of Communication, too says she has heard about a change in student culture.
“A notable success has been increased social interaction and collaboration among students,” said Granato, adding that students are playing cards, board games and talking with one another face to face during their free time. “The overall school culture has become more focused and respectful, with fewer distractions in hallways, cafeterias, and other common areas.”
Students have also been getting more involved with clubs and extracurriculars as well as engaging more with one another during non-academic time, such as lunch and study hall.
The engagement is to such an extent that RCS District purchased extra physical education equipment for students to use outside during lunch.
“Kids are out there throwing footballs, kicking soccer balls, and the Board of Education donated picnic tables where they can eat lunch outside together,” said Funck, adding that study hall teachers had put together a wish list of more items for students to use and the school bought $500-$600 worth of board games, chess boards and playing cards for the about 600 students.
At South Colonie High School, some students are also using their imaginations instead of their phones for fun. A mother of one student, who wanted to remain anonymous, recalled her child coming home and requesting a cantaloupe to bring to school the next day — no other fruit would do. The child explained that their group of friends had begun playing fruit bowling to entertain themselves during the lunch period.
The mother — for better or for worse — did not have a cantaloupe on hand.
In addition to bowling, or at least attempts to bowl, some students may also be reading more. According to Hochreiter, book checkouts at Albany High School’s library had increased by roughly 130% in September.
Though it hasn’t been very long, RCS and North Colonie districts are projecting that there will be a positive influence on academic performance as well.
“The five-week mark is up in about a week, so we’ll start taking a look at grades, attendance and chronic absenteeism,” Funck said. “We’ll see how those things are linked to the new policy.”
Colonie Central School District is also looking at early indicators, which according to Granato, point to a “stronger learning environment and healthier student interactions across the school community.”
At RCS High School, they rely on the honor system to keep students’ phones away, which, according to Funck, has been working well.
“We looked at the Yondr bags,” Funck said of the secure, lockable fabric pouches used to store cell phones and smartwatches. “And looked at how other schools were doing it. We decided on just putting them away. When the 7:25 bell rings, all devices get silenced and put in their back packs.”
If students do get caught using their phones or other electronics during the school day, they have two options: “We don’t get into battles with kids,” Funck said. “They can turn their phones in or have their parents come and pick them up. It’s their choice.”
They are also keeping record of how this method is working out to determine if it will be sustainable long-term. “We’ve been tracking how many phones get turned in per day and how many of those students show resistance or choose to go home,” Funck said.
“The most meaningful impact is not just academic,” Hochreiter said. “We’re seeing students collaborate more, problem-solve together, and practice the soft skills that are vital in the workplace and beyond.”
Juliana Scarpelli is a University at Albany Journalism student participating in the SUNY Institute for Local News initiative to help community journalism. Sia Patel and C. Nicole Younis contributed to the reporting.
