photo by: Josie Heimsoth/Journal-World

Justin Blumenstiel, a parent and professor at the University of Kansas, talks with newly elected interim superintendent Jeanice Swift about the district's cellphone policy on Monday, Aug. 12, 2024.

A parent from Free State High School created a petition to coincide with another created by educators to urge the school board to limit cellphone use in classrooms throughout the Lawrence school district.

At the school board meeting on Monday, Justin Blumenstiel, a parent and University of Kansas professor, gave a presentation to provide information on the teacher policy for phone-free schools during public comment. Blumenstiel created his own petition including 108 signatures from parents across the district who stand behind the change in policy.

As the Journal-World reported, educators expressed concerns at the school board meeting on June 24 with the current cellphone policy, which states that cellphones should be “put away and out of sight.” The educators who spoke during public comment said the existing policy is problematic because it’s inconsistent from classroom to classroom.

“It’s our understanding that the teachers presented a petition about a month ago in this respect, and I wanted to push forward that the parents that signed my petition are in strong support of this policy,” Blumenstiel said.

The petition was discussed after many districts across Kansas implemented phone-free policies, in response to the growing mental health crisis among young people linked to social media use. Many educators are also concerned with a phenomenon called the proximity effect, which is the idea that the physically closer our phone is, the less we can resist the urge to check it.

Blumenstiel said there have been reports showing a decline in the mental health of youth since cellphones and popular social media platforms have been introduced. He also mentioned that schools which have banned cellphones in classrooms are reporting a decrease in student anxiety levels.

“I know that the school board is considering these matters very strongly and I really recommend urgency on these matters,” Blumenstiel said. “It would be wonderful if we could have a policy implemented by the end of this semester and in the spring of 2025.”

Lawrence district spokeswoman Julie Boyle previously told the Journal-World that the Board Policy Committee continues to discuss potential changes to cellphone policy and plans to invite input from students, staff and school families after the new school year begins.