Updated: May 14, 205
The recording from Schodack’s virtual public forum on May 13 about student cell phones in schools is available online here.
Originally Posted: April 11, 2025
Schodack CSD Community,
In the weeks after spring recess, we will be hosting public forums for interested families, district employees and school community members about student cell phone use in schools.
We will be hosting two public forums – one virtual and one in person – and you are invited to attend whichever is more convenient. The forums will be led by our Director of Teaching & Learning Alyssa Sabbatino and Superintendent Jason Chevrier. The schedule is below and there is no need to RSVP.
In-Person Forum: Tuesday, April 29, at 6:00 PM in the Maple Hill Auditorium.
Virtual Forum: Tuesday, May 13, at 6:00 PM. The link to join is available here. If asked for a password, it is 939yZRtSPXK.
The purpose of these forums is not to announce a cell phone-free school plan. Instead, they are an opportunity to present data and discuss the overall impact of student cell phone use in schools. Our district holds voluntary faculty book studies and two of those books – Stolen Focus: Why You Can’t Pay Attention by Johann Hari and The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt – focus heavily on the impact cell phones have on the developing minds of school-age students. Both book studies received a large amount of faculty participation and findings from the research in these books will be discussed, among other data sources.
As you may have also heard, Governor Hochul has announced intentions to put a policy in place that would limit student cell phone use in all New York State K-12 schools starting in the 2025-26 School Year. The Governor’s initiative will not be the primary focus of these forums, but Ms. Sabbatino and Mr. Chevrier will touch upon it and preliminarily discuss what it might look like in Schodack.
Questions?
If you have any questions about these events, please email Alyssa Sabbatino (asabbatino@schodack.k12.ny.us).
