Columbia High School students and teachers with Superintendent Jeff Simons and AFT President Randi Weingarten at NYSUT’s Disconnected conference in Albany on Friday, September 20.
Students in a Columbia High School Participation in Government class attended a conference in Albany on Friday to learn about the effects of cell phones, social media and technology on schools, learning and mental health.
The conference was titled Disconnected and it was hosted by the New York State United Teachers (NYSUT) and brought together educators, students, parents, school board members and elected officials to explore research around social media and technology addiction.
Columbia’s students were accompanied by Social Studies Teacher Dan Wagner and other teachers and administrators from the East Greenbush Central School District, including Superintendent Jeff Simons, Goff Interim Principal James McHugh and Assistant Principal Sarah Hoffman.
“I thought that this was a great way to learn more about this important issue and to find out what these students think about this issue,” said Mr. Wagner.
As part of Participation in Government, students write mini-papers on topics of interest to them to learn the different viewpoints and then they share their opinion. Following the conference, nearly half of Mr. Wagner’s class is now doing research on cell phones for their mini-papers.
“I thought it was very relatable,” said Mallory Echevarria ‘25. “It opens your eyes.”
Cell phones in schools have become a hot topic in education since this summer, and one that the East Greenbush CSD began to address last year.
Howard L. Goff Middle School began enforcing a cell phone policy at the start of last year which states that cell phones and other personal electronic devices (such as smart watches) are not permitted during the instructional school day. The policy has led to improvements, such as fewer distractions in class, more social interaction amongst students, and fewer issues with student behavior. For example, according to School Safety and Educational Climate Incident Counts, Goff had 16 serious behavior incidents in 2022-23 down to two in 2023-24.
”We are all aware of the disruptions caused by cell phones in our schools to the teaching and learning process,” Mr. McHugh said. “All of the data collected nationally has overwhelmingly shown that our students are experiencing an unprecedented decline in their mental health and well-being. We know that smartphones are distracting, addictive, and inhibit our students from developing healthy relationships with their peers and adults.
“Putting our students first and best ensuring their safety and well-being requires us to make courageous decisions,” he added.
After the early success experienced at Goff, the district will be reviewing the cell phone policy at Columbia this year by engaging with teachers, staff, students and parents.
According to a survey conducted by the Pew Research Center last fall, 72% of high school teachers say that students being distracted by cell phones is a major problem in their classroom.
In that same survey, however, 70% of students ages 13-17 said there are generally more benefits than harms to people their age using smartphones.
“I think it’s really important for students to be in this conversation,” said Alexander DeMarco ‘25. “I know there are probably students who think this is a really bad thing, and students who think this is a really great thing, and then some people who are in the middle and don’t know what to decide.”
“I enjoyed (the conference),” he added. “It gave me a new perspective on the issue.”
Disconnected Conference Videos
Watch each of the sessions from the NYSUT Disconnected conference below.
East Greenbush CSD Podcast
On a recent episode of Let’s Learn Together, Superintendent Jeff Simons had a conversation about cell phones in schools with Goff Middle School Interim Principal Jim McHugh, Goff School Counselor Jaclyn Gleason and Nichole Krisanda, a parent of a Goff student and a Columbia student. They discuss the cell phone policy, why it was implemented at Goff and the positive impact from removing phones from the school day. They also talk about the potential for future discussions of cell phones at the high school.