Shown is a cellphone pouch, and a device to unlock the phone. P-J photo by Michael Zabrodsky

After a first-day delay, students at Jamestown High School, are starting to settle in to their new kind of day – without cellphones.

“We’ve kind of gotten used to it – settled in, said ex-officio student member Hayden Langford said Tuesday to the Jamestown Public Schools Board of Education.

The senior added that there were some delays on the first day, but overall the system works smoothly.

At the start of the school year, districts across New York State were to have policies in place to adhere to the new cellphone law. In May, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced the distraction-free law for the 2025-2026 school year.

The state law requires bell-to-bell restrictions on smartphones in K-12 schools. The requirement also applies to charter schools as well as Boards of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES).

At JHS, students use locked pouches to hold their cellphones and other internet-enabled electronic devices. District teachers and administrators will have devices to unlock the pouches.

Students will arrive in the morning with their internet-enabled electronic devices, including smartwatches, inside the locked pouch. Ninth- through 11th-grade students will enter JHS through the front doors, and 12th-grade students will enter JHS through the school store doors. The doors are manned by designated school staff.

“The main doors, where the rest of the students are going, was a little backed up, but it’s honestly running a lot smoother than I thought it would at the start of the day,” Langford said. “I’ve definitely seen the impacts that it’s been having – straight away. … There’s a learning curve. But I’m actually very thankful for the sort of learning experience that is brought and I’m sure a lot of kids are too.”

Superintendent Dr. Kevin Whitaker said that when he was at JHS, he interacted with about 20 students.

“I walked down the hallway and said hello and good morning to about 20 students, and 20 of them looked me in the eye and said, ‘Good morning,'” Whitaker said. “So I have been really impressed, and really happy to see eyes, and conversation, and kids talking to each other, staff talking to kids, and staff talking to each other. It’s really great.”