During the 2025-2026 school year, all New York State schools have implemented a cell phone ban, preventing students from using personal devices during school hours. Many schools opted to purchase pouches and other storage devices for cell phones. While each school has its own policy, Cardozo uses locked pouches to secure student’s personal devices during the day.
Phone pouches are an inconvenience to the school and its students because many programs require a lot of technology use. These programs include DaVinci, Law, Navy, Journalism, and Dance. In addition, the cell phone pouches cost the school a lot of money so that every student gets one pouch. Despite the city providing this funding, many students believe the money could have been put towards something more useful.
Jayla Simmons, a Cardozo student, feels the pouches were a waste of money, especially because students already know how to open them on their own without the staff key that is required to open them. “The school should have put the money into something else, like better school lunches, an exterminator, or a new bathroom,” Simmons argued. She continued to explain how the phone pouches were a waste of money that the school should not have spent.
Cell phones can be a useful learning tool in classrooms because many teachers don’t have clear and direct access to the devices provided by the school. Not every classroom has laptops of iPads, and this is negative to the learning environment for students.
Phone use in classrooms enhances classroom learning by having the students engaged. Technology makes classes fun and educational. It also helps them put more effort into the students’ work. Many things like Kahoot, Blooket, and EdPuzzle are ways to help students learn in many different ways. Using this technology in the classroom only helps students.
Technology is part of everyday life today, and it’s important that students learn to use it in a proper and responsible way. If the phones and technology are banned, it doesn’t allow students to learn new skills such as multitasking, improving memory skills, and more.
In addition, after high school, technology is going to be part of college and the workforce. Technology use in school provides the perfect practice for using devices and software in preparation for future jobs. Many jobs today require technology use, such as journalism, software development, data analysis, many careers in medicine, cybersecurity, and STEM careers.
Studies prove that technology is actually really good for students and for education. It helps people receive new information and further their learning. It has a positive impact on health and education, and it can help people who are in deep need of money find new opportunities and jobs.
However, studies also show the negative impact of technology, such as being a distraction and excessive use of it during the day. It’s hard to ignore this blatant argument, but must we punish everyone with the ban just because some students have no self-control?
In conclusion, I believe the phone ban should be lifted to help students in class and help teachers find new resources to assist students to pass their classes. Technology not only helps students learn, but prepares them for their futures in college and in various careers across many fields.
Will the phone ban ever be lifted? Let’s hope so.
