Melanie Sepulveda, a Staten Island teacher, had her doubts about the new “bell-to-bell” cellphone ban in New York schools .

In the past, she watched students drift through the hallways at I.S. 27 Anning S. Prall , looking at their phones and feet. Some pre-teens, entrusted with bathroom passes, filmed TikTok videos outside her English classroom where a quiet corridor, save for a few offices, gave cover to their scheme.

This school year is different. When students arrive in the morning, I.S. 27 collects the phones for the full school day, even during lunch and free periods . Kids adjusted quickly. One of Sepulveda’s students, with no phone for distraction, brought a SpongeBob LEGO Set to use during recess. The activity got the girl and her classmates talking, so much so that they ra

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