A new Kansas law requires school districts to keep personal electronic devices stored away during the school day somewhere where they can’t access them. Which means schools must now provide a way for students to contact their parents during the school day.

The policy has received mixed reactions from parents.

For parents in support of the law, no phones means promoting a better learning environment by reducing distractions. For parent Brad Collins, keeping phones away during the school day could help students focus and develop stronger critical thinking skills.

“Usage has done nothing but up, the times that high school kids are on phones, they are using apps, connecting with these platforms that are engineered to hack their brain into staying on the programs longer and longer and longer and longer,” Collins said. “And it kind of ruins critical thinking, attention, those types of things.”

Collins’ concerns are around how much time students spend on their phones and the effect that has on their attention. Parent Jan Gavilanes also is in support of the policy and believes students don’t need phones in class.

“I think it’s great,” Gavilanes said. “I think that the one they have now is pretty good, just keeping it in the locker checking in at lunch and after school is plenty. I think it’s too distracting to have in class.”

School administration has also said they haven’t seen significant pushback from parents about the policy.

“I’ve never had a parent come in to pick up a phone upset,” Associate Principal Brit Haney said.

Parent Angie Salmon said she would not be upset with the school over the policy, but rather her student for violating it.

“I wouldn’t be upset with the school,” Salmon said. I would probably be somewhat upset with our students, because that was probably because she violated the policy.” For Parent  Kyla Williams-Bowles, the concern is more about communication.

“As a parent I want to be able to connect with my child. There’s too many things going on in the world right now for me to be worried that my child is at school without his phone if something happens,”  Williams-Bowles said.

 Gavilanes doesn’t share the same concern.

“I think that the teachers can communicate with us if they need something,” Gavilanes said.

Williams-Bowles said she understands the need for limits but believes students should be taught how to use technology responsibly.

“You have to teach responsibility,” Williams-Bowles said.

The idea of responsibility also comes into play when questioning how students should be disciplined for following the policy. 

Jill Swanson believes consequences should focus on students who do not follow the rules rather than affecting students who do. 

“Ideal phone policy would be to address the kids who aren’t following the rules, and not punish the kids who follow the rules,” Swanson said.

Swanson also believes that individual districts should have a say in how the law is handled.

“I think the district should be able to make rules for their students instead of the state,” Swanson said.