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I am always impressed with the creativity kids can show, to accomplish what they want. 

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I am always impressed with the creativity kids can show, to accomplish what they want. 

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When Sebastien Wall found out that cellphones were about to be banned from his New Hampshire high school, he began making preparations.

Sebastien, 17, said he thought the policy was a good idea to keep students focused during class. But what about his lunchtime soundtrack? So, over the summer, he bought a used fifth-generation iPod for US$80 (RM336) and loaded it with songs by Pink Floyd and Rage Against the Machine.

Upon returning to school last week, he realised he was not the only teenager to greet the new phone ban with technology that is - by Gen Z's standards, at least - Paleolithic.

"I've seen people walking around with CD players, and someone also has a Walkman," Sebastien said. But an old device is now more than a nostalgia trip, he said. "It's our last resort."

Young people's appreciation for flip phones, digital cameras and other gadgets of the recent past is well documented, but it seems to have taken on new urgency in response to a wave of smartphone restrictions in schools that has reached more than a dozen states.

Last week, New York City became the largest school district in the country to introduce a bell-to-bell ban on phones and other Internet-enabled devices. In response to new policies, enterprising students have shown up with MP3 players obtained online or from family members.

A Sony Discman and an iPod Shuffle were among the unexpected arrivals during the first week of school in Festus, Missouri, said Josh Bauman, the school district's technology director.

"This one kid was so proud that he found his mom's iPod Nano, and she had Adele," Bauman said. By the end of the first week of classes, the principal of Festus High School had sent an email asking students to leave their MP3 players at home.

On social media, young people are positioning MP3 players as an all-purpose workaround for the phone bans, but whether such devices are actually permitted varies from district to district. Sebastien's school in New Hampshire bans only devices that can connect to the Internet. His iPod can't, so his homeroom teacher gave him the go-ahead to use it during downtime.

In Bauman's district in Missouri, however, iPods have technically been off-limits since 2008. "The stance that the district is taking is more or less 'Is it a distraction?'" Bauman said, adding that administrators were consulting with students about how and when they use MP3 players.

All of this has been amusing for people who can recall when Gen Z's new favourite audio players were themselves the height of classroom contraband.

Mike Givens, 51, remembers listening to his Walkman on the bus but being instructed to leave it in his locker during school hours. He now belongs to a Reddit forum for iPod enthusiasts that has been flooded with students scrambling to prepare for phone bans.

He believes that young people were behind a surge this summer in his business selling refurbished iPods on eBay: He sold 68 devices in one week at the end of July, he said, compared with 22 during the same time period last year.

The teenagers bringing iPods to school say music helps them focus while studying and decompress during breaks.

Elijah Bayron, 16, a junior in Ithaca, New York, bought an inexpensive MP3 player this summer so he could keep listening to film scores during study hall. "I looked forward to it a little bit so that I could use the more old-school method," he said.

His mother, Kalynn Bayron, groaned. "Hearing him say 'old school' makes me want to crumble into a pile of dust," she said.

They agreed that the ban had been going relatively smoothly in Elijah's district so far, although Bayron, 41, said she initially worried about contacting her son in an emergency. So far, Elijah has noticed that classmates seem to be socialising more.

Adaly Nolasco, 17, a senior in Houston, has found her mother's hand-me-down MP3 player a far less distracting music source than the smartphone she used last year. Loading songs onto the device was "really confusing", she said, but she figured it out with the help of a YouTube video.

"It's definitely a good loophole," she said. "Hopefully they don't ban this, too."

At least a few students have bypassed devices of the early 2000s entirely. Cooper Carey, 16, was trying to figure out a way to listen to pump-up music before crew practice when he came across a box of his father's cassette tapes in the basement.

In August, just before the phone ban took effect in his New Hampshire school, he ordered a cassette player on Amazon that he is using to work through his father's Metallica collection (he is choosing to ignore the Milli Vanilli).

His father, Dave Carey, 54, has gotten a kick out of introducing his son to the technology of his youth. He even showed Cooper how to use a pencil to fix a broken cassette.

"He goes, 'This is a lot harder than it has to be'," Carey said. "I go, 'This is how it was.'" - ©2025 The New York Times Company
This article originally appeared in The New York Times.

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Their schools banned phones. Out came the iPods and cassette players.

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Enterprising students have been bringing the contraband of yesteryear to school in what they see as a "loophole" in cellphone bans.

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I love seeing "red" and "blue" states agreeing on things, like the phone ban. I agree with the teachers it is better for the students to take away the distraction.

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I love seeing "red" and "blue" states agreeing on things, like the phone ban. I agree with the teachers it is better for the students to take away the distraction.

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Here are the states banning cellphones in schools and what it means for students

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Parts of the U.S. have banned cellphones in the classroom this school year.

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I love seeing kids that are not even old enough to vote try to make a change. A peaceful protest is a wonderful tool.

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I love seeing kids that are not even old enough to vote try to make a change. A peaceful protest is a wonderful tool.

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Students at Mesa Ridge hold walkout protesting gun violence

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On Wednesday, hundreds of students from Mesa Ridge High School chanted and held up signs protesting against gun violence in schools.

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I love this idea of an international Day against violence in schools. A lot of these statistics were way too high.

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I love this idea of an international Day against violence in schools. A lot of these statistics were way too high.

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The agency is calling for pupils to be better protected from physical, verbal and psychological aggression in a report published on the eve of the International Day against Violence and Harassment in Schools, including Cyberbullying.

Learning in safety

" At school, every child should feel respected, accepted and safe, so that they can learn and develop," said UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay.

"This International Day must spur a collective effort to step up the fight against violence and harassment in education", she added.

UNESCO noted that globally, one in three students reports experiencing bullying in the previous month. Cyberbullying is also increasingly widespread, affecting 10 per cent of children.

These phenomena have serious consequences not only for learning, but also for mental health, the agency said, as victims of bullying are twice as likely to suffer from severe loneliness, insomnia and suicidal thoughts.

Girls and gay students most impacted

Violence at school disproportionately affects certain groups based on factors such as gender, sexual orientation, socio-economic status and other identity markers, with girls particularly vulnerable.

Up to a quarter of adolescent girls experience gender-based violence, and up to 40 per cent of these incidents occur at school. Worldwide, 42 per cent of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender youth have been "ridiculed, mocked or threatened at school", mainly by other students, because of their sexual orientation or gender identity.

Transform schools

The UNESCO report underscores the essential role of public policies, standards and multi-sectoral cooperation to curb violence and bullying in education, noting that only 32 States, 16 per cent, have a comprehensive legal framework to address the issue.

It calls for immediate, sustained action to transform schools into havens where every student can thrive, free from fear and harm.

To reinforce efforts, UNESCO produced a global assessment summarizing data from the past few years. Its 194 Member States also received a set of guidelines, a series of thematic notes and a guide for teachers to combat gender-based violence in schools.

Furthermore, recommendations on bullying in schools and a technical note on the key role of teachers have been produced.

Support to countries

UNESCO also supports many projects on the ground putting its recommendations into practice, particularly in Africa and Asia through the Connecting with Respect programme.

This initiative helps prevent gender-based harassment by encouraging pupils to treat each other with respect and showing victims where to turn for help. UNESCO has also trained more than 20,000 educators in West Africa to create a violence-free school environment.

UNESCO also launched a new project last month devoted to the mental health of schoolchildren in France.

The two-year project - established in conjunction with the country and the European Commission - aims to strengthen the skills of educational teams in this area and to create student support networks that bring together teachers, educators, health personnel and social services.

The agency further stressed the importance of designing curricula that ensure educational content promotes the values of peace and respect for others, as expressed in its Recommendation on Education for Peace, Human Rights and Sustainable Development which its Member States unanimously adopted last year.

About the International Day

UNESCO established the International Day against Violence and Harassment in Schools, including Cyberbullying, in 2019, which is held every first Thursday in November.

It recognizes that school-related violence in all its forms is an infringement of of children's and adolescents' rights to education and their health and well-being.

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UNESCO urges more action to combat violence and bullying at school

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Nearly one in three students worldwide says they have been physically attacked at least once during the year, the UN educational and cultural organization UNESCO said on Wednesday.

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I found relief with this article. I was under the impression that it was all vaccines that will no longer be mandatory in Florida, instead it is a few that have been most recently added to the schedule.

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I found relief with this article. I was under the impression that it was all vaccines that will no longer be mandatory in Florida, instead it is a few that have been most recently added to the schedule.

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Florida issues official notice about school vaccine mandate changes

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It’s official: the Florida Department of Health is beginning to create the rule that will get rid of some vaccine mandates in Florida. Here’s how you can stay up-to-date on it.

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I was interested to see that most adults still agree with the current vaccine mandates, after seeing a lot of contrary rhetoric.

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I was interested to see that most adults still agree with the current vaccine mandates, after seeing a lot of contrary rhetoric.

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How do U.S. adults feel about school vaccine requirements? Survey

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A new nationwide poll asked if vaccination is a public health issue or a personal choice

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I love this idea, I hope it is successful and Illinois can set an example to make this nationwide. 

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I love this idea, I hope it is successful and Illinois can set an example to make this nationwide. 

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Illinois 1st state to require universal mental health screenings at schools

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Under SB 1560, Illinois school districts will receive free resources to implement the new initiative for students in grades 3-12.

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I enjoy the side by side comparison of points of contention on debates. It did confirm my biases.

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I enjoy the side by side comparison of points of contention on debates. It did confirm my biases.

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Driving the news: Kennedy and Education Secretary Linda McMahon penned an op-ed last week decrying Illinois' new universal mental health screenings law as an over reliance on therapy, and instead recommend fitness, nutrition and "strong families" as a way to confront youth mental health.

Reality check: Neither Kennedy or McMahon have backgrounds in mental health or social work.

Friction point: Kennedy and McMahon argue that mental health care for children should fall to parents more than schools, writing that "schools should engage and rely on parents to raise their children with nutritious family meals and family interaction, outdoor play and role-modeling."

This is a common Republican argument highlighted by U.S. Rep. Mary Miller (IL-R) who in response to Illinois' law reintroduced the Parents Opt-In Protection Act, which would make the screenings in Illinois "opt-in" and require written consent from parents or guardians.

The other side: More resources, training and support should be poured into schools, which serve as "an equalizer," Amy Green, Hopelab's head of research, told Axios.

"In their op-ed, the HHS and Education Secretaries completely fail to comprehend the scale of the mental health crisis that our youth are facing," state senator and sponsor of Illinois' universal mental health screenings law Sara Feigenholtz told Axios in a statement. "Here in Illinois, we will continue empowering young people and their families by connecting prevention with intervention."

Zoom in: One of Kennedy and McMahon's recommendations is limiting or banning cellphones during the school day, which some school districts in Illinois already do.

State of play: About a quarter of youth say their schools fall short on mental health support, according to the survey.

What's next: The Illinois School Board of Education is working with school districts this year to develop the mental health screening questions, and schools will be required to start screenings by the 2027-28 school year.

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department of health and human services (hhs)

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RFK Jr. slams Illinois' new youth mental health law

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The screenings starts in 2027, but Health Sec. Kennedy warns in op-edit misplaces school vs. therapy roles.

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While not directly student related, I found this direct source with a lot of great ideas, however, I don't see the funding to support the proposed solutions. 

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While not directly student related, I found this direct source with a lot of great ideas, however, I don't see the funding to support the proposed solutions. 

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Explore the White House MAHA initiative and report. Discover efforts to end childhood chronic diseases through innovative policies, transparent science, and healthier food systems. Join the movement to Make America Healthy Again!

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Funding shortages seem to be a theme in preventing healthier school lunch choices.

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Funding shortages seem to be a theme in preventing healthier school lunch choices.

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The U.S. Department of Agriculture slashed hundreds of millions of dollars in funding that helped schools buy food from local farms, in a move that one food service director said was "devastating."

The department's $660 million Local Food For Schools program, which was started under President Joe Biden in 2021, was canceled for 2025, according to the School Nutrition Association, which criticized the cuts.

The USDA did not respond to a request for comment. An agency spokesperson told Politico that the programs "no longer effectuate the goals of the agency."

The program sought to bring local produce to schools and child care facilities, giving schools the opportunities to purchase fresh foods and use smaller producers rather than rely on large corporations.

"This was devastating," said Nicole Melia, food service director for the Norristown district in Pennsylvania, who also works with the farm-to-school network in the state. "We have been really working on establishing a lot of resources and supports to help schools connect with local farmers. This was a slap in the face to all the work we've done."

The program was part of a larger $1.5 billion effort from the USDA to enhance the school meal program following supply-chain challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic. The goal was to help the bottom lines of school lunch programs that typically operate on tight margins, as well as producers that were struggling after the pandemic forced restaurant closures.

The Biden administration created the program through executive action, so it can be undone in the same way.

Educators said the program helped bring fresh produce and variety into the cafeteria that they haven't always been able to offer.

Melia, whose district is located about 20 miles north of Philadelphia, was able to source apples from nearby orchards and carrots from a nearby farm. The district could purchase local milk and home-grown lettuce-and things that don't always appear on the menu, like Brussels sprouts and kale.

"It's so much fresher, and a better product," Melia said. "It's possible it was just picked that week and arrived in your cafeteria. That's not possible coming from California and Florida, at least for us in Pennsylvania."

The state was due to receive about $23 million this fiscal year. Melia said the Norristown district had already planned out how it would use its share of the money.

In smaller rural areas, schools often want to purchase food locally, said Tara Thomas, government affairs manager for AASA, The School Superintendents Association. But the cost can be quite high.

"In the broader scheme of things, at the end of the day, these critical school nutrition programs operate on paper-thin margins and, at this time, with increased costs," she said. "Schools need more resources and funding to cover the cost of providing these healthy meals. Any reduction in funding will have a negative impact on schools if you increase the cost of these programs at all."

The federal subsidies made it easier for Raul Gaston's Illinois district to keep costs at a minimum while offering local food.

Gaston, the principal of Gompers Jr. High School in Joliet, Ill., said almost all of his 780 students eat breakfast and lunch served at school, and almost all qualify for free or reduced-price meals.

"Good-quality food is sometimes a little harder to get to, and so our kids really rely on that nutrition," he said. "Without good food, it's going to be very difficult for them to be able to learn and be able to do the things that kids need to do, in order to grow and feel healthy."

Broader school meals cuts are under consideration

The Trump administration canceled the local foods program as broader cuts to the National School Lunch Program are under consideration in Congress. Those cuts would follow years in which access to free school meals has flourished, starting during the COVID-19 pandemic, when the USDA allowed every student to qualify for free meals under a waiver that lasted from 2020-during the first Trump administration-to 2022.

Today, roughly 20 million children benefit from the community eligibility provision, which allows a school to provide free meals to all students without requiring that they individually verify their family income and eligibility for free meals. Schools are eligible to participate if 25 percent of their students automatically qualify for free meals through participation in other safety net programs, like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.

The Biden administration expanded the community eligibility provision in 2023 to allow more schools to provide free meals to all students. The administration also sought to eliminate "junk" fees-processing charges that ultimately increase how much families pay for school meals-for low-income families. Research has found that universal free meals benefits academics, engagement, and even student discipline.

Following the pandemic waivers, a number of states started offering universally free school meals, with help from the community eligibility provision.

Now, Congress is considering other cuts to school meals programs, according to the School Nutrition Association.

Republicans have been eyeing changes to the community eligibility provision, pushing to raise the minimum threshold of eligibility.

Some educators fear that the provision could be outright eliminated, which is a proposal in Project 2025 -a 900-page policy agenda spearheaded by the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank. Trump has tapped some of its authors to serve in his administration, and has already followed several of its outlined policy initiatives.

School Nutrition Association President Shannon Gleave said in a statement that such changes "would cause millions of children to lose access to free school meals at a time when working families are struggling with rising food costs" and that school cafeteria staff "would be saddled with time-consuming and costly paperwork created by new government inefficiencies."

It would take congressional action to eliminate the community eligibility provision.

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Trump Admin. Cuts Program That Brought Local Food to School Cafeterias

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The $660 million Local Food For Schools program, which was started under President Joe Biden, was canceled for 2025.

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"On my honor, as a student, I have neither given nor received unauthorized aid on this academic work." 

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"On my honor, as a student, I have neither given nor received unauthorized aid on this academic work." 