NEW YORK (PIX11) – Summer vacation is officially over on Thursday for more than 900,000 New York City public school students.

This year, students are going back without being able to use their cellphones in the classroom. School districts were allowed to customize their own policies on cellphones, including banning them during lunch or study hall.

Schools, though, must have created a course of action for parents to reach their children.

Other notable changes this year include religious holidays being on the academic calendar and universal free breakfast and lunch.

Erin Pflaumer is a digital content producer from Long Island who has covered both local and national news since 2018. She joined PIX11 in 2023. See more of her work here.

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