Kansas students are being required to lock away their cell phones before entering classrooms, as schools across the state begin enforcing a sweeping ban on student device use during the school day.
The statewide cell phone restrictions apply to thousands of K-12 students under HB 2299, legislation signed into law in March by outgoing Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly. Kelly praised the measure as a way to “reduce distractions in the classroom.”
While the law sets the broader mandate, individual school districts have been given room to decide how best to carry it out.
In the Kansas City public school district, officials spent $150,000 on specialized lockers where students must place their phones before classes begin, according to KCTV.
A video that has since spread widely online shows students at Wyandotte High School depositing their cell phones into a glass-fronted cage, with a staff member appearing to monitor the process as the school day starts at 7:25 a.m.
Once the phones are secured, students cannot access the cell phone cage during school hours. They are required to retrieve their devices only after the final bell at 2:25 p.m.
Wyandotte High School’s approach to enforcing the Kansas school cell phone ban has quickly become a flashpoint online, drawing both support and criticism.
“You don’t think the kids will put a 2nd or broken phone in there and keep their regular phone on them?” one Facebook user wrote.
“When someone steals the whole rolling cart is the school insured to replace 450-650 phones?” another reacted.
“Are they even checking to see if the phones are working phones?” a third asked. “Who’s to say the kids aren’t turning in an old phone and hanging on to their actual phone?”
“My question is what about students that rely on their phone to alert them their blood sugar has gone up or down?” a parent asked. “I sure hope there are exemptions for these students.”
Wyandotte High students also have the option of leaving their cell phones at home or inside their cars. Not every school is following the approach of Wyandotte High.
Students in the nearby Piper Unified School District can store their cell phones in a traditional locker they don’t access during the school day.
Basehor-Linwood Unified School District officials have bought special lockers for high school students.
Students busted using their cell phones will have it confiscated for the entire day for a first-time offense.
Those caught flouting the ban three times will be suspended from school for a day.
Students in the Shawnee Mission Unified School District are being encouraged to leave their cell phones at home, in their locker, or in their car.
The policy applies to accredited private schools across the state. Students at Kansas City Christian school can buy a $25 pouch to store their phone if they choose to.
Students have been warned they are not allowed to keep their devices in pockets or backpacks.
The ban also applies to personal tablets, computers, smartwatches, wireless headphones and text messaging devices.
There are exceptions for students who need a device for a medical reason or part of an education plan.
The ban doesn’t apply to computers or devices that are issued by schools.
The law was backed on a bipartisan scale – with a majority of 32 votes to four in the state senate, and 84-39 in the House of Representatives.
State Senator Cindy Holscher, who is the Democratic Party’s gubernatorial candidate in Kansas in November, voted against the bill.
“This bill oversteps local school boards and does little to address the real mental health challenges students are facing,” she said in March.
“Our teachers and school districts are already stretched thin. Instead of adding another statewide mandate, we should be working with local leaders to find solutions that truly support students and their well-being. There are far better ways to help our kids succeed.
Democratic Rep. Stephanie Clayton also voted against the law.
“As the parent of a teenager, I am very cognizant of the fact that phones are a necessary evil — especially if you have a child who drives to school,” she said.
Andover Republican Ty Masterson, Holscher’s rival in November’s election, voted in favor of the ban.
A similar “bell to bell” ban is in force across public schools in New York, affecting almost a million children.
