Heyyyyy, teens, here's an SMS direct to your heart signed with the winking face emoji from Bill de Blasio: the mayor of New York City announced on Wednesday that the ban on cell phones at NYC schools has been lifted. All 1.1 million kids enrolled will now get to bring their phones and tablets onto campus.

The New York Daily News exclusively reports that the idea behind overturning the ban is so that parents and guardians will have a way to get in touch with their kids in cases of emergency. Schools are expected to set up their own individual policies regarding how the cell phone ban lift will be handled.

Via the NY Daily News:

Mayor de Blasio said the change will enable parents to stay in better touch with children, especially in case of an emergency. De Blasio also said it would end the inequity and unfairness of the current ban, which is most strictly enforced at schools with metal detectors in low-income communities.

"Parents should be able to call or text their kids — that's what this comes down to," said de Blasio. "It's something Chirlane and I felt ourselves when Chiara took the subway to high school in another borough each day."

The available policies schools may institute include having students store their phones in backpacks for the day, allowing the phones to be used in designated areas or during lunch, or allowing students to bring their phones into classrooms for educational purposes, the NYDN reports.

As a reminder, we are always accepting stories on teaching in America's public schools, and you are welcome to submit them to dayna@gawker.com.

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