Hundreds of students streamed into Jericho schools Wednesday for their first day of classes — marking not only the beginning of the 2025-26 school year but also the start of a new state cellphone ban.

In the Jericho school district, officials said previous policy prohibited use of phones in classrooms, but the new statewide regulation now bans cellphone usage throughout the school building, including hallways, the gym and the cafeteria during the school day.

The “bell-to-bell” ban intends to minimize distraction and protect young people’s mental health. The prohibition does not apply to cellphones that lack internet capability or electronic devices used for learning.

As teenagers stepped off the bus Wednesday morning, staffers reminded them to put away their phones before class.

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