With school set to start in a week school districts across New York are implementing the state mandated cell phone ban. Buffalo Public Schools Superintendent Pascal Mubenga shared with BTPM their district’s plan to implement the mandate.
"We've been able to share the plan with our school leaders as matter of fact, as we're talking today, we have all the storage materials being dispatched to all our schools."
Unlike the Niagara Falls City School District which completely ruled out suspension for students who would continue to violate the ban, Mubenga has not completely put suspension off the table.
"I'm not going to be specific on that, but I'll say any new policy, there needs to be [a] grace period there where we need to work with our babies, because it's something that some of them have grew up with. So to be able to transition from that, there needs to be a grace period there."
The school district has come under criticism in the past for its high suspension rates. New York Civil Liberties Union reports that the district has had the highest suspension rates in the state six out of the last nine years.
Depending on the school, students will have a choice of putting their phone in their locker or cubby or in a secure bin which can be unlocked at the end of the day. The district has posted a video on the school's Facebook page of what students can expect when returning to school Sept 4.
