KSHB 41 reporter Olivia Acree covers portions of Johnson County, Kansas, including Olathe and Lenexa. Share your story idea with Olivia.
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Earlier in March, Kansas lawmakers moved forward with a statewide ban on cell phones in schools. While the legislation has garnered support from parents and state leaders, local school districts are raising new concerns.
Blue Valley Schools Superintendent Gillian Chapman told me she is not against limiting distractions, but that a one-size-fits-all, statewide policy ignores what is already working locally.
"We have a policy in place that works really well; that does not cost us valuable resources," Chapman said.
Chapman is concerned that the new law will require the district to use already limited funding and resources to create ways to collect and store devices for hundreds or even thousands of students. Because the mandate comes without government funding, the cost will fall directly on schools.
"This unfunded mandate will cost somewhere, really rough estimate that we've been able to calculate, somewhere between three and a half and $4 million at least," Chapman said. “To put something in place that we do not need.”
Chapman said she would prefer that lawmakers focus more on regulating social media to limit the negative effects of student phone use, rather than leaving districts with added budget pressure.
We discussed the cell phone ban while also talking more broadly about the funding problems that public schools are facing.
"If the legislature were truly serious about preserving the mental health of students, they'd be taking different action instead," Chapman said.
I asked the Shawnee Mission School District where they stand on the new policy.
"At this point, we are uncertain as to how we will comply with the law and at what cost to our finances and our instructional time," the district said. "We will begin having discussions with our principals and staff and seek guidance from the Kansas State Department of Education."
The legislation has received support from other state leaders and advocates who believe the ban will benefit classrooms.
"This really is designed to work better for our kids and really better for our teachers," Gov. Laura Kelly said.
"I think kids are going to be more attentive in class. I think you're going to see an increase of focus in class," Katie Longhauser, a phone-free schools advocate, said.
According to the new law, districts have until September to implement their new phone policies.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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