Powered Down: Staff and students are conflicted on the proposed statewide school phone ban

As the Kansas Senate discusses the statewide all-day phone ban, district administrators, educators and students are divided on whether the ban should pass. The bill — co-sponsored by 70% of the Senate and supported by governor Laura Kelly — has been in a hearing since Jan. 15.

Introduced on Jan. 6, Senate Bill 302 would require all Kansas schools to prohibit the use of phones from the first bell of school to the last, including passing period and lunch time. This is a greater restriction than the current district policy adopted last January during instructional time.

The bill is derived from a policy template provided by the National Distraction-Free Schools Policy Project, which provides policy templates for legislation in schools to “address the overuse of smartphones, social media, and School-Tech.” 

Kimberly Whitman is a co-leader of the project and a parent of two SM South students. She adamantly advocates for a full-day ban over a class time ban because of research from the Kansas Department of Education showing academic, social and mental benefits from complete restriction.

“As my children got older, it was clear [that] the presence of phones in schools was disrupting their educational environment,” Whitman said.

According to superintendent Michael Schumacher, all six county superintendents — including SMSD, Olathe and Blue Valley — were united against the bill at a delegation in Topeka in December, arguing that the policy would undermine local regulation.

“We really feel like we took the proper steps for our district, not only from a student health perspective, but also from [the perspective of] what we can actually manage, and put into practice,” Schumacher said.

Schumacher says that the current district policy is nearly as effective as a bell-to-bell policy. Additionally, he worries that enforcement in 6A schools would be expensive and cumbersome without funding from the state.

At a 6A school like SM East, Yondr pouches are a potential storage device for a bell-to-bell policy. At $30 per unit, it would cost the school up to $50,000 to purchase and implement the pouches. Additionally, the time needed to drop off and pick up phones could expose hundreds of thousands of dollars of student devices to theft, as well as cutting into instructional time, according to Schumacher.

Broad education exemptions outlined in the district policy — such as for use in journalism or marketing programs — aren’t present in the state bill. Student publications like the Harbinger and Hauberk rely on social media platforms like Instagram to post breaking news and multimedia content. 

“I think it’s just difficult because so much of the software we need for journalism is blocked on our MacBooks,” head yearbook copy editor and junior Claire Rosen said. “It would be frustrating, and it would be something that we would have to adapt to, but ultimately, I feel like we would find solutions.”

While many teachers impose phone bans, educators at SM East are divided on the potential added restrictions. English teacher Michelle Abshire has long imposed cell phone bans in her classroom, but worries that a bell-to-bell ban would affect necessary student-parent communication.

“I feel like the district’s ban does a good job of keeping kids engaged during their classes, but also allows for them to stay in contact with whoever they need to,” Abshire said. “That’s just part of the world we live in today, is being able to get a hold of people.”

On the contrary, an anonymous math teacher believes the district policy is not sufficient and statewide enforcement would be beneficial.

"I am 100% for the bill,” the teacher said. “And I think that cell phones are not only detrimental to academic progress, I think they are detrimental to the mental health of so many students.”

36 states have adopted a phone ban, with 19 of these states adopting bills similar to the one currently in the senate from the first bell to the last.

Governor Laura Kelly announced in her State of the State address on Jan. 13 that she intends to sign the bill if it gets to her desk, which received a standing ovation from both Democrats and Republicans. 

Whitman says she anticipates the bill will pass and be signed into law.

“It would allow all students to thrive in an educational environment where they can engage, focus and have more social connection,” Whitman said.