Locust Valley was First to Ban Cell Phones in Schools

To the Editor, 

As New York State finalized its budget, one key piece of legislation was a ban on cell phone use in schools "from bell to bell."

I am proud to share that the Locust Valley Central School District (LVCSD) was ahead of this movement by two full years.

In 2023, under the leadership of a new middle school principal Mr. Mike Cestaro and a new superintendent Dr. Kristen Turnow, LVCSD implemented a cell phone free policy in grades K–8, expanding it to the high school in 2024.

This initiative was based on data and observations from staff and parents that the constant use of cell phones during the school day was interrupting learning, and the natural development of our children.  Unlike many districts that rely on outside vendors or costly programs like the Yondr pouch system to assist in implementing a cell phone free learning environment, our district developed and implemented its own in-house solution—and achieved incredible results.

Now, for the second year in a row, our administration has presented data at our school board meetings—both anecdotal and measurable—that demonstrates the positive impact of this initiative. We've seen a decrease in disciplinary issues and significant improvements in student behavior, interpersonal skills, and social interaction.

Our recess areas are full of students running, playing, laughing, talking, and even organizing their own ping pong and basketball tournaments. In the hallways, children are walking with their heads up, engaged with their peers rather than their screens. The social benefits are both noticeable and meaningful.

Districts like ours are fortunate to have administrators with the vision and acumen to design and implement programs like this from the ground up, and a Board of Education that supports bold, forward-thinking initiatives. It’s important to recognize the strength of leadership in our district and to appreciate that they took this important step well before it became the norm statewide.

Margaret Marchand

Locust Valley Board of Education