ELLY GRIMM

   • Leader & Times

After much work and deliberation, a bill banning the use of cell phones and similar personal electronic devices has been signed.

Thursday, Gov. Laura Kelly announced she had signed Senate Substitute for Substitute for House Bill 2299 (Sub for HB 2299), banning the use of cell phones and personal electronic devices during the school day.

“In our rapidly changing world, technology dominates our lives, and that’s why it’s essential that we reduce distractions in the classroom,” Gov. Kelly noted in a release from the State of Kansas. “We must have one uniform standard across the state to tackle this issue and set our students up for success. By banning cell phone use during the school day, we’re taking a commonsense approach to address the impact smartphones and social media have on Kansas children’s academic performance, learning environments, and mental health.”

The bill requires Kansas public schools and accredited private schools to prohibit the use of personal electronic devices during the school day on school premises. These devices include, but are not limited to: cell phones, tablets, computers, watches, wireless headphones or earbuds, text messaging devices, and personal digital assistants. Students’ personal devices must be turned off and securely stored during the school day. The bill includes exceptions if a device is needed for the implementation of a student’s individualized education program or 504 plan, or if approved by a physician as a medical necessity. Students may still contact a parent or guardian via school phone. The bill does not apply to technology that is issued to students by school districts.

125th District Representative Shannon Francis said such a proposal had been in the works for a while in a Jan. 25 L&T story.

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.”

The ultimate goal of the bill, Francis said in January, is to help students, and the bill should ultimately prove very beneficial.

“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. I think it's important for us to think about what good policy will be for our schoolchildren. There are fewer things more important than making sure our children are happy and healthy and whole so they can receive a great education.” 

Other Kansas leaders also praised the bill’s passing

“As a father of four young boys, I see firsthand how today’s technology can affect kids’ ability to learn and grow,” Senate Majority Leader Chase Blasi, District 26, noted in the State of Kansas release. “I’m proud the legislature came together to pass a bill that puts Kansas kids first.”

“We will look back on this moment and know we took a step in the right direction to protect Kansas kids. Research has shown us that our students’ mental health, test scores, and concentration levels are negatively impacted by overuse of social media and cell phones,” Senate Democratic Leader Dinah Sykes, District 21, noted in the State of Kansas release. “I am proud of the bipartisan work put into this bill, and the many discussions we have had with stakeholders, local officials, lawmakers, and the governor’s office. It is time that we got cell phones out of Kansas classrooms. Our kids deserve policies that prioritize their health and strengthen their future, and that is what HB 2299 does.”

The bill also prohibits employees of school districts from using social media to communicate with students for official school purposes, or from requiring the use of social media for any assignment or extracurricular activity, the State of Kansas release continued.

“This is about creating a school environment where kids can focus on learning, protect their mental health, and simply be kids again,” Representative Angela Martinez, District 103, noted in the State of Kansas release.

“Senate Substitute for Substitute for HB 2299 is about setting a clear, student-centered standard and then working hand-in-hand with our districts to implement it in a way that works for their communities,” Representative Jason Goetz, District 119, noted in the State of Kansas release. “Because passing a bill is not the finish line. It’s the starting point. Our commitment moving forward is to partner with schools, to listen, to adjust where needed, and to make sure this policy works not just on paper, but in real classrooms, with real students.”