School Policies & Regulations

All of our actions at NEST+m are governed by the DOE’s Chancellor’s Regulations. Visit the Department of Education website to view all of the Chancellor’s Regulations in detail.

STUDENT CELL PHONE & ELECTRONIC DEVICE POLICY

Updated September, 2023

During the school day, from 8:15am-2:35pm, 9-12 students are permitted to use electronic devices in designated areas during their lunch period only.

Designated areas include: 

  • Main Courtyard/Rear Courtyard during their lunch periods.
  • Cafeteria during their lunch periods.
  • Students may use cell phones in any office with the authorization of a staff member.  Students may use cell phones in classes, including field trips, only with the explicit  permission of the teacher or an administrator 

K-8  Students are not permitted to use electronic devices at any time during the school day.

  1. Students will keep cell phones turned off and out of sight in their lockers. 9-12 only  in designated areas listed above  during lunch. 
  2. Headphones and earpods may not be used at anytime unless specified by an IEP or 504 plan
  3. Students are never allowed to use cell phones or electronic devices in locker rooms, bathrooms, staircases, the auditorium or outside of classrooms. 
  4. Cell phones, computing devices, portable music and entertainment systems may not be turned on or used during school fire drills or other emergency preparedness exercises. K-8 students are not permitted to use any of these devices at any time during the school day. 
  5. Students may not record, film, photograph, stream or broadcast anywhere in the building using cell  phones or other electronic devices without permission from an administrator or teacher.
  6. Use of cell phones or electronic devices for bullying, harassment or academic dishonesty (including  cheating, plagiarism or unauthorized collaboration) may result in disciplinary action as specified by the school's Academic Honesty Policy and the New York City Department of Education Discipline Code. 
  7. Cell phones and electronic devices used in violation of these policies will be confiscated.   
    • For the first offense students will be given a warning. (first week of school only).
    • For a second offense, the device will be confiscated and parents will be contacted; confiscated devices will be returned to students at the end of the day.
    • For a third and repeated offenses, a parent or guardian must come to school to retrieve confiscated devices. Cell phones can be picked up in the main office. 
  1. Refusal to comply with the confiscation of any device is considered insubordination and will result in further disciplinary action, including possible suspension.  
  2. 9-12 students may use personal laptops when appropriate during class time. If students are using non approved programs or websites they will no longer be allowed to use their personal laptops in school. K-8 students are strongly encouraged to leave all personal computing/ gaming devices at home. 
  3. Students are responsible for maintaining the safety and security of their electronic devices while at  school.

Electronic devices include: Cell phones, smart watches, video gaming devices, digital communication devices, headphones, earpods, bluetooth speakers, bluetooth devices, iPads, laptops