All Of It with Alison Stewart

Episode: Back To School 2025

Date: September 4, 2025
Host: Alison Stewart
Guest: Jessica Gould, WNYC Education Reporter

Overview

This “Back To School 2025” episode zeroes in on New York City’s public school year kickoff amidst policy changes and cultural shifts—citywide cell phone bans, evolving attitudes toward technology in schools (especially AI), new vaccine guidance, literacy curriculum updates, and community anxieties about safety and immigration. Education reporter Jessica Gould joins Alison Stewart to break down the current state of schooling, offering insights, parent and student perspectives, and context for why these issues matter right now.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Back-to-School Atmosphere in NYC

• Today marks the first day of the 2025-2026 school year.
• Diverse emotions from parents and students—nerves, excitement, and big transitions (e.g., first year of middle/high school, college applications, senior years).
• New policies and ongoing anxieties shape this year: cell phone ban, vaccine updates, ICE activity.

Notable Moment

"I saw a lady wiping a tear away when I was walking to work this morning. Don't worry, lady. Little Kyle's gonna be fine."
— Alison Stewart (00:46)

2. Citywide Cell Phone Ban: Origins & Implementation

• The ban is a result of sustained advocacy, mental health concerns, and leadership from former chancellor David Banks and Gov. Hochul.
• Inspired in part by Jonathan Haidt’s “The Anxious Generation” and worries about teen distraction/addiction.
• Finalized statewide as part of the spring budget; now, all NYC schools must comply "bell to bell" (arrival to dismissal).
• Enforcement methods differ by school:
  • Magnetic pouches (“Yondr” brand and similar)
  • Storage lockers (sometimes in principal’s office)
  • Old-school methods (personal lockers)
  • Special cases like Brooklyn Tech’s Velcro pouch (creates noise if opened)

Notable Quote

"Now it is the law, and it is bell to bell, arrival to dismissal... Theoretically, students should not have it at lunch or in the hallways."
— Jessica Gould (02:45)

• New York is adopting this policy slightly after some other states/large cities (Louisiana among earliest), but is one of the largest jurisdictions to do so so comprehensively.

Timestamps

• Cell phone ban overview: 02:15 – 03:15
• Storage methods explained: 03:18 – 04:14
• State comparisons: 04:14 – 04:45

3. Reactions to the Phone Ban—Parents & Students

• Parents: Mostly supportive; see it as a way to increase focus and curb distractions.
• Key parental concern: ability to contact kids during emergencies, especially in light of school shootings.
  • Schools required to have policies for parent-student communication.
  • Research cited: Emergency phone access can actually increase confusion during a crisis.
• Students: Generally unhappy; many see it as unfair or anxiety-inducing.
  • Some students embrace “Luddite” approach (flip phones, less social media), but they are a minority.
  • Social discomfort—one student nervous about lunchroom socializing without his phone.

Notable Quotes

"He was saying that if it came to it, he wanted to make sure that he could say his last words to his mom."
— Jessica Gould, relaying student anxiety about emergencies (05:14)

"But then when they said the phone ban, everybody booed."
— Jessica Gould, describing student response at a school event (06:12)

Timestamps

• Parental perspectives & emergency concerns: 04:47 – 05:38
• Student attitudes: 06:12 – 07:06
• Medical/caregiver exceptions clarified: 07:20 – 07:59

4. Listener Contributions: Community Voices

• Messages and calls reflect the mix of optimism and anxiety among families; high school applications are a major worry.
• Retired principal Eileen (16:14) suggests schools dedicate staff to handle family communications, which could ease anxiety about the phone ban and emergencies.

Notable Listener Quote

"Parents need to know that they can contact the school readily. And students need to know that their parents can contact the schools readily. It would allay a lot of anxiety."
— Eileen, retired principal, caller (16:35)

5. AI in the Classroom: Promise & Peril

• Big tech companies are partnering with teachers' unions (esp. AFT/UFT) to create AI training centers for educators.
• Intended use: help teachers with lesson planning and differentiation.
• Teacher pushback: Concerns about tech companies infiltrating classroom routines, potential loss of students’ critical thinking skills.
  • Some teachers have shifted to in-class assignments/testing to combat AI and plagiarism.
  • Considerable teacher time now spent running assignments through AI/plagiarism detectors.

Notable Quote

"Some teachers were saying this is a fox in the hen house kind of situation...tech companies are getting a beachhead right in the school system."
— Jessica Gould (09:57)

Timestamps

• AI initiative overview: 09:06 – 10:37
• Teacher response to AI assignments: 10:47 – 11:37

6. Vaccine Requirements and Updates

• No change in mandatory vaccine requirements for school attendance in NYC, though federal guidance and coverage for COVID vaccines remains in flux.
• Parents advised: Contact their child's doctor for COVID vaccine access if needed as the situation updates.

Notable Information

"The advice for something like the COVID vaccine is to call your doctor's office because they're still waiting for clarity from the federal government."
— Jessica Gould (12:32)

Timestamps

• Vaccine guidance: 12:04 – 13:01

7. Literacy Curriculum Changes and Scores

• Return to phonics and "Science of Reading" approach after earlier trends toward independent/discovery-based reading.
• Literacy and math scores ticked up modestly, especially for younger students exposed to new methodology early.
• Scores remain around 50%; implementation dips expected before new curricula prove effect.

"...there were some directions to students to guess at words based on the first letter, context clues. Right. Or the picture...that's all been pulled back."
— Jessica Gould (13:56)

"...it's still hovering around 50% literacy in the city. And so there's a long way to go, but it is ticking up."
— Jessica Gould (15:33)

Timestamps

• Curriculum change and science of reading: 13:17 – 15:19
• Pandemic effect on scores: 15:19 – 16:04

8. Safety, ICE Activity, and Attendance Concerns

• Despite heightened ICE activity nationwide, NYC schools' stance unchanged: no federal law enforcement entry without a judicial warrant.
• Some students detained, but not in schools (mostly from court).
• Community response: Parent and educator “ICE watch” groups formed to lookout for federal enforcement near schools, but reports as of summer were of increased anxiety rather than incidents.
• Enrollment may shift if families feel unsafe; officials watching numbers and absenteeism.

"I was doing some reporting on these unofficial ICE watch groups that some parents and educators had formed...it was a way to raise awareness and to make sure that kids were safe."
— Jessica Gould (19:45)

Timestamps

• ICE and immigrant family concerns: 18:51 – 21:21

Memorable Moments & Quotes

• On the school-ban rollout:

  "But then when they said the phone ban, everybody booed." (06:12)

• On parental anxiety:

  "He wanted to make sure that he could say his last words to his mom." (05:14)

• On policy changes:

  "...bell to bell, arrival to dismissal..." (02:45)

• On school safety:

  "If I were a child today, I would be terrified to go to school." — Listener text (18:19)

• On AI in the classroom:

  "...a fox in the hen house kind of situation..." (09:57)

Segment Timestamps (Highlights)

• [00:08] – Episode start, show welcome, theme set-up
• [02:15] – Cell phone ban: background, implementation
• [03:18] – How phones are stored/enforced
• [04:17] – How NY compares to other states
• [04:47] – Parents' attitudes
• [06:12] – Student reactions (cheering/booing)
• [07:20] – Exceptions to cell phone rule
• [09:06] – AI in education; new teacher training
• [10:47] – Preventing AI cheating in the classroom
• [12:04] – Vaccine updates
• [13:17] – Reading/literacy curriculum changes
• [15:19] – Pandemic’s impact on scores
• [16:14] – Call-in from retired principal Eileen
• [18:51] – ICE enforcement/family fears
• [21:21] – Segment close, guest thanks

Summary

"Back To School 2025" on All Of It vividly depicts New York education’s evolving landscape: balancing mental health, safety, and academic integrity in a “post-pandemic, high-anxiety” era, while wrestling with technology’s role and the safety of immigrant families. The city embarks on a sweeping cell phone ban amid joy and protest, AI’s classroom encroachment remains fraught, and curriculum changes seek better literacy outcomes. Parental and student voices reveal the intense mix of worry, hope, and resilience that make the first day of school in New York a uniquely charged moment every year.