Gov. Kathy Hochul is refusing to disclose the costs of using a fuzzy “Frankie Focus” mascot unveiled last week to promote the “bell-to-bell” school cell phone ban, a Sesame Street-type character that even supporters flunked as “completely tone deaf.”
The mascot is more appropriate to connect with 4-and-5-year olds than the phone-obsessed teenagers the “bell to bell” prohibition is intended to help, educators said.
“It’s completely tone deaf,” said Queens high school teacher Moshe Spern.
“We all agree that the cell phone ban would be great for students and learning. But having a silly cartoon character be the focus of the promotion loses the target audience: middle school and high school students,” the veteran teacher said.
He added, “Having a cartoon character thrown in their face is not going to make them happy. It insults their intelligence.”
“The use of a mascot doesn’t appeal to parents and certainly not high school students. It doesn’t appeal to me,” said high school parent Yiatin Chu.
“I’m not sure the mascot helps her cause.”
She said the ban, which she supports, is a serious issue. There’s a lot of debate in high schools about students not having access to their laptops or phones that could be helpful during free study periods.
“The law is more successful than the mascot,” said another proponent, who requested anonymity. “I don’t know any 13-to-18-year-old who could be convinced with a mascot like that.”
Hochul showcased Frankie Focus at a Brooklyn middle school last week.
Sources who back the ban said former New York Sen. and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and her camp were in discussions with Hochul on implementing the cell phone ban.
Hochul’s office on Sunday would not explicitly say how much it’s spending on Frankie Focus, other than the character is part of a state public service campaign to promote the benefits of distraction-free learning and that it has spent $13.5 million to help schools comply, including $4 million to the New York City Department of Education.
It’s being funded by public, not private funds, the spokesman, Sam Spokony said.
But Hochul defended Frankie Focus, who has his own social media accounts, as a valuable promoter of the ban.
“Frankie just kind of showed up at our office last week and did this perfect double backflip, which was pretty wild,” the Hochul spokesperson quipped.
“But after that, he made two things clear: He’s not affiliated with any companies or brands, and he really, really doesn’t like smartphone distractions at school.”
The Hochul rep said the furry mascot could help “spread the word” about how distraction-free learning helps students.
“As the Governor’s always said, our kids succeed when they’re learning and growing, not clicking and scrolling – and that’s why we’ll keep working to ensure distraction-free learning delivers the best results for New York schools,” the governor’s spokesperson said.
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