A roundtable discussion with local educators and stakeholders in the Southern Tier was held Tuesday with Governor Kathy Hochul as part of her statewide listening tour focused on addressing smartphone use in schools. This listening tour began last week in the Capital Region and will continue with additional roundtable discussions with key stakeholders over the coming months. As the Governor has emphasized, stakeholder engagement will play a key role as she develops a statewide policy proposal on smartphones in schools that will be announced later this year.
Today’s roundtable was held at Windsor High School and included administrators, teachers and parents from several different schools in the region. Additional roundtables over the coming months will be held across the state with a wide array of educational stakeholders.
Participants at today’s roundtable included:
- Windsor Central School District Superintendent Jason Andrews
- Vestal Central School District Superintendent Clifford Kasson
- Norwich Central School District Superintendent Scott Ryan
- Vestal Middle School Principal Sarah Wiggins
- Mackenzie Dubois, Windsor Central School District Social Worker
- Jill Houseknecht, Windsor Central School District Teacher
- Darren Safranek, Parent
Additional roundtable discussions with educators, parents, students and other advocates will be held over the coming months.
This continues Governor Hochul’s leadership on youth mental health and well-being, which has included signing a first-in-the-nation law to combat addictive social media feeds; expanding school-based mental health clinics and other resources; and launching the “Get Offline, Get Outside” campaign to encourage kids and families to put down their phone, take a break from social media and enjoy outdoor activities this summer.
The challenges presented by smartphones and other internet-enabled devices in schools also exacerbate the ongoing issue of learning loss, especially in the post-pandemic era. Governor Hochul’s efforts here are the next step in ensuring our students’ full attention is on learning in internet distraction-free zones.
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