NEW YORK — The New York City public school system is looking to require schools to adopt a "cell phone free school space" in an effort to curb students’ use during the school day, according to audio of a meeting of city education officials obtained by POLITICO.

Details: In a briefing Friday afternoon with members of the Panel for Educational Policy — the Department of Education's governing body —Mark Rampersant, the agency’s security director, said the city will leave it to individual schools to adopt the approach they believe is best for them.

"We are going to help schools who have not been collecting phones understand what exists out there," he said during the briefing. "We don't want to sway their attention in any direction, schools will do what's best for their school environment."

That could include having pupils put their devices in lockable pouches, Rampersant said.

Another option floated was having students place their phones in ziploc bags with bubble wrap inside and their student ID information on the outside of the bag. Students would put their devices in a box and pick it up at the end of the school day. Schools can also take students’ phones and return them at dismissal time.

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