When the new school year starts in September, students in New York State’s public schools will be prohibited from accessing their smartphones throughout the entire school day. Cailin Riley reports on 27east.com that the new “bell-to-bell” ban is part of Governor Kathy Hochul’s $254 billion state budget which was approved by the NYS Legislature last week...more than a month after the April 1 deadline. The new statewide policy will mean that phones will not be allowed even in hallways or during lunch or recess periods.The budget includes $13.5 million set aside to help schools institute the school day ban. New York is now the largest state in the nation with a bell-to-bell ban.Hampton Bays Superintendent of Schools Lars Clemensen said, “We want to do a thoughtful and appropriate process to create this policy,” he said. “I want to include kids’ voices, teachers, administrators, so the specifics are really important for us to know.” current President of the New York Council of School SuperintendentsFrom a philosophical point of view, Clemensen, who is also President of the New York Council of School Superintendents, said he still struggles with whether or not a bell-to-bell ban is in the best interest of students.“Another thing I’m concerned about is the obligation we have as public schools to teach responsible use of these devices,” he said.“At the elementary and middle school level, I understand, but I’m struggling to get my head around how, on June 1, we can tell an 18-year-old senior you’re not permitted or trusted to use this device, but on July 1, they can report to basic training and be handed a gun. We have to get kids ready for when we’re not there to tell them they can’t use something.”Clemensen said he’s currently most curious about what kind of guidance will be handed down from the state in terms of “policing” the ban.He said it will require a “cultural change” within the school building, and said he has concerns about what will happen when teachers or staff have to engage with a student who does not want to comply with the new rules.“It’s not just going to be, hand over your phone and go on about your day,” he said. “Implementation is going to be a process.”He added he’s anticipating some pushback from parents as well.***Memorial Day is still 13 days away, but the American Automobile Association {AAA} is already warning of roads and airports packed with holiday travelers. John Valenti reports in NEWSDAY that more than 45 million people are expected to travel domestically, according to AAA, which defines the holiday weekend as Thursday, May 22, through Monday, May 26. Those travelers will take trips at least 50 miles from home, AAA said in a statement Monday. This year’s domestic travel forecast is an increase of 1.4 million travelers compared to last year and is expected to set a new Memorial Day weekend record, AAA said."Despite concerns over rising prices, many Americans are planning to take advantage of the holiday, even if the trips are closer to home," AAA Northeast spokesman Robert Sinclair said in a statement.Road trips will be the hottest ticket on the travel market, the AAA said, with 39.4 million — or, 87% of all Memorial Day weekend travelers in America — opting to go someplace by motor vehicle, 1 million more than did so in 2024. That boom, according to the AAA, is in part due to cheaper gas prices.The average pump price in the New York City-metro area is down 68 cents a gallon from the same time last year, according to AAA.Domestic air travel is expected to account for about 3.61 million travelers over the holiday weekend, an increase of more than a half a million compared to last year. The spike comes despite booking data from the AAA showing ticket prices have increased at least 2%.An additional 2.08 million people are expected to travel by...

NYS student smartphones will be prohibited during school day as of September