New York Could Be the Next State to Limit Students’ Cellphone Use
The New York Times
Gov. Kathy Hochul on Monday signaled her plan to include related legislation in her budget proposal, saying she hoped to limit distractions during the school day.
Gov. Kathy Hochul of New York on Monday announced her intention to limit access to cellphones in schools for students in kindergarten through 12th grade as part of her latest push to address children’s reliance on the devices.
In a statement, which provided no other details, the governor said she would include the legislation in her proposal for next fiscal year’s budget. She billed the initiative as a follow-up to one of her key achievements last year, the passage of legislation designed to protect young people from addictive algorithms on social media. She cited a Pew Research poll that showed 72 percent of high school teachers described students being distracted by cellphones as a “major problem.”
“Young people succeed in the classroom when they’re learning and growing — not clicking and scrolling,” Governor Hochul said Monday. “My upcoming budget proposal will put forth a new statewide standard for distraction-free learning in schools across our state.”
Speaking to high school and college students at Hudson Valley Community College on Monday, the governor acknowledged that restricting cellphone use might make her “very unpopular.”
Los Angeles Unified became the largest school district in the United States to ban cellphones last year. Virginia, Ohio and Minnesota are among the states that have moved to crack down on the devices in schools.
In New York City, Mayor Eric Adams backed away from a plan to ban cellphones in schools in August, saying the city wasn’t “there yet.”
The man and his son, who both used wheelchairs, called for help in evacuating from the Eaton fire in California. They were found dead later that day, and now their family is asking what happened.
Gov. Kathy Hochul on Monday signaled her plan to include related legislation in her budget proposal, saying she hoped to limit distractions during the school day.
Early data from the Metropolitan Transportation Authority suggests that traffic has dropped around Manhattan’s core.
Brad Lander, the New York City comptroller who is running for mayor, will announce a major plan to address homelessness after a series of violent attacks on the subway.
As state legislatures convene, they face the same political polarization seen in Congress. Some are in near-deadlock.
President-elect Donald J. Trump picked the South Dakota governor to head the Homeland Security Department, which includes the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
Carol Acosta, known to her fans as “Killadamente,” transformed herself into a social media influencer with a message of self-love. The Dominican American star died last week at the age of 27.
The committee’s Republican chairman and its top Democrat were briefed on F.B.I. findings into Pete Hegseth, Donald Trump’s defense secretary pick. Democrats questioned whether there were gaps.
Days after a devastating wildfire, residents of Pacific Palisades have started sifting through the ruins, and their memories.
California’s Democratic governor, Gavin Newsom, and President-elect Donald J. Trump have long feuded. Can the rancor be set aside to help a devastated city recover?
“There were too many houses to protect, and not enough engines,” one fire captain in Los Angeles said. Though fire officials say they were well-prepared and simply overwhelmed by the elements, questions are being raised about whether the intensity of modern fires requires a new playbook.
The Hall Street shelter in Brooklyn, which drew numerous complaints, is among several that will soon close in New York.
Shanti Gooljar grabs some coffee before eight hours of heart-racing driving lessons around New York City. She caps off her day by having dinner with her son.
President-elect Donald J. Trump has worked for years to discredit any and all criminal and civil cases against him as nothing more than politically motivated witch hunts.
Clearing the toxic remnants of burned buildings around Los Angeles will require a complex and expensive mobilization. California has been there before.
An incumbent Democrat narrowly won re-election to the state’s highest court. But the Republican-controlled court is considering an unusual protest from her challenger that could flip the result.
Erden Arkan, a businessman with close ties to New York’s Turkish community, pleaded guilty in federal court on Friday to conspiracy to commit fraud.
Charging drivers to enter Lower Manhattan vindicates the lifelong mission of a Nobel laureate who, as it happened, died behind the wheel of a car.