Local educators and stakeholders in Western New York were given the opportunity on Wednesday to take part in a roundtable discussion with Governor Kathy Hochul on smartphone use in schools.
This follows several recent sessions in the Capital Region, Long Island, and Southern Tier, and will continue with additional roundtables 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.
The roundtable was held at Kenmore Junior/Senior High School and included administrators and teachers from several different schools in the region. Additional roundtables over the coming months will be held across the state with a wide array of educators, parents, students, and advocates.
Participants at Wednesday’s roundtable included:
- Sabatino Cimato, Superintendent, Kenmore Tonawanda Union Free School District
- Gregory Woytila, Superintendent, North Tonawanda City School District
- Darlene Jesonowski, Chief Superintendent of School Leadership, Buffalo Public Schools
- Dean Johnson, Principal of Kenmore West High School
- Robyn Brydalski, Teacher, Franklin Elementary
- Elizabeth Aszkler, Librarian and Parent, Kenmore West High School
- Dr. Denise Stappenbeck, Director of Student Services, Williamsville Central School District
- Cheryl Hughes, NYSUT Board Member and Member of Kenmore Teachers Association
- Scott Reddinger, President, Lockport Education Association
- LaShonda McKenzie, Member of the Cheektowaga Central Teacher Association
- Kelly White, Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum, Leadership & Instruction, Kenmore Tonawanda Union Free School District
According to a Pew Research poll released in June, 72 percent of high school teachers nationwide say that students being distracted by cell phones is a major problem in their classroom. As part of her commitment to addressing this issue and creating more positive outcomes for students, families and educators, Governor Hochul stated this spring that she plans to propose a statewide policy to tackle excessive smartphone use in schools.
Governor Hochul has also highlighted that many schools across the state – including some represented at Wednesday’s roundtable – currently have individual policies seeking to address cell phone use in their classrooms. The Governor is focused on gathering detailed perspectives on the successes and challenges seen by various schools and stakeholders statewide based on the current patchwork of individual school policies.
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