PRE-K 3 LOTTERY UPDATE
Dear Families:
Starting this September, the City School District of Albany will join all school districts across New York in creating smartphone-free environments in all of our schools. Students will not have access to their personal smartphones and all other personal electronic devices throughout the regular school day.
We want to give students every advantage to succeed! Extensive research shows that excessive cell phone use and exposure to social media are obstacles that lead to poorer academic performance and higher levels of anxiety and depression. Our Cell Phone Use Task Force has been doing this planning for the past year, and we are moving forward following Gov. Hochul’s announcement in May that all schools must create smartphone-free environments.
How it will work for students in grades 6-12
While our team is finalizing specific details for implementation, middle and high school students will be required to place all personal electronic devices (smartphones/cell phones, smartwatches, earbuds, etc.) in a locked bag. The bag will stay sealed during the school day by a magnetized locking device.
Each student will be provided a bag at the beginning of the school year. When students enter school, they will turn off their devices and place them in their bag. The bag then locks and students can keep it with them all day. At the end of the school day, students will be able to unlock the bag at one of several locations in the building and begin using their devices again. Solutions for parents and guardians to communicate with students as needed during the school day, as well as medical exemptions for students who require them, will be communicated over the summer.
How it will work for elementary students
Elementary students will be required to turn off their phones and store them out of sight during the school day. Each school will develop its own process to meet the needs of their individual school community.
What’s next
We will share more information with students, employees and families this summer and at the start of the school year, including in-person forums to allow families to learn more and ask questions.
We truly believe these important new policies and procedures will lead to increased student engagement and success at school. We ask for your partnership in talking with your students at home about this upcoming change, and we look forward to working with you as we put this plan in place when school begins Sept. 4.
Sincerely,
Joseph Hochreiter
Superintendent
