As per New York State Education Law, the Watervliet City School District implemented its updated Distraction-Free Schools Policy for the 2025–2026 school year. This “bell-to-bell” mandate requires all internet-enabled personal devices — this includes smartphones, smartwatches, and tablets — to be turned off and stored away securely from the beginning to the end of the school day.
This policy is intended to maximize academic focus, reduce digital distractions, improve students’ mental wellness, and foster real-world social connections. As mandated by state law, the district follows a progressive, educational, and non-exclusionary disciplinary framework; no student may be suspended solely for a violation of this policy.
The “School District Internet-Enabled Device Policy Enforcement Report” for the 2025-2026 school year provides an overview of the enforcement data for the district’s phone-free policy, analyzes potential demographic disparities, and presents corrective measures for future implementation, where necessary.
Summary
The report covers data on 412 total recorded policy violations involving 167 unique students. The majority of the violations occurred at the secondary level with 286 incidents in the high school and 124 in the middle school. Two violations were logged at the elementary level.
Read the district’s 2025-26 Internet-Enabled Devices Policy Annual Enforcement Report
To address the findings in the report, the district is planning to provide more comprehensive staff guidance and consistent approaches, improve communication with families, and introduce targeted interventions for students with repeat violations.