ELLY GRIMM
• Leader & Times
There has been growing concern about the use of cell phones and other similar devices in K-12 schools and soon, such devices may be banned in Kansas classrooms.
125th District Representative Shannon Francis said the proposal has been in the works for a while.
“A couple years ago, the Kansas State Board of Education began a task force that delved into the problem of phones in the public schools, and then that task force made some recommendations to school districts throughout the state as far as what they thought the best practices would be,” Francis said. “After that, it was then left to the state's school boards to decide how to proceed. Since that time – and even before this, actually – multiple states had something in place that restricted cell phone use in public schools, and we continue to see better outcomes and fewer disciplinary issues for the schools that have implemented those types of restrictions. That task force also cited a study from 2024 that showed how 72 percent of high school teachers believed students distracted by their cell phones is a major issue. The evidence definitely leaned in favor of these types of restrictions. I can’t give an exact timeline on everything quite yet, but the House Majority Leader and House Minority Leader will be introducing this bill to the KS Legislature in the near future, everything with this bill is rather just getting started.”
Francis then talked about some of the major provisions expected to be included in the bill.
“Any bill/proposal is subject to amendments, which I'm sure will happen as the bill goes through the process. From my understanding, however, the main goal of the bill would be to prohibit cell phones and other communication devices from being used in schools by students during instructional time, which would last from the start of school until the end of school,” Francis said. “That would require the phones to be turned off and stored away from the student. Some schools have it to where students can access their devices during passing periods and other free time, but what we would want to do is an all-day prohibition on access to those devices. There would also be a requirement for school districts to develop procedures and other disciplinary action for violation of the policy, and the bill does allow for device use for specific situations like medical emergencies and situations like that.”
Francis said there should also be some particular benefits seen should the bill ultimately pass.
“I think we'll see better test scores, fewer disciplinary issues in schools and fewer mental health issues in schools. I feel like cell phone access and access to social media apps and things like that directly contributes to anxiety and ADHD and other similar conditions,” Francis said. “Since the smartphone was developed, there have been more cases of anxiety and ADHD and other mental health conditions seen, especially in young people, and I think having something like this in place will help.”
The ultimately goal of the legislation, Francis said, is to help Kansas students.
“I think it's important for us to think about what good policy will be for our schoolchildren,” Francis said. “There are fewer things more important than making sure our children are happy and healthy and whole so they can receive a great education.”
Kansans are also encouraged to follow the bill’s progress, Francis said.
“This bill is still really new and hasn't been assigned a Senate Bill number, but if anyone wants to follow its progress, the easiest thing to do would be to go to the Kansas Legislature Web site and look up that number, which I will be sure to include in my newsletter in the near future,” Francis said. “People will also be able to keep up with what's said in hearings and what we're hearing from experts and other people. And I will do my best to pass on any information I receive through my newsletter or on my social media pages. We definitely want people to know how this is progressing and be as transparent as possible. This bill is definitely bipartisan, it was co-sponsored by multiple Democrats and Republicans, so it's definitely an issue many of us feel is important. And anyone who wants to share their thoughts on the bill can get in touch with me via e-mail at
