photo by: AdobeStock

An AdobeStock photo illustrates cell phone usage in a classroom.

Kansas Senate leaders from both parties unveiled bipartisan legislation on Tuesday that would ban cell phones in K-12 classrooms.

The bill, Senate Bill 302, would require Kansas public school districts and accredited private K-12 schools to adopt policies limiting student use of personal electronic communication devices during class time. Under the bill, students would be prohibited from using devices such as cell phones, tablets, smartwatches, or wireless earbuds. Virtual schools are exempt from these requirements.

The legislation said devices must be turned off and securely stored away from students, though schools must allow exceptions for students with individualized education programs or other documented medical needs. Students would also be allowed to contact parents through a school telephone or another communications device.

“Phone-free schools give students space to think, build authentic human relationships, and protect student mental health from constant digital pressure,” Senate Majority Leader Chase Blasi, R-Andale, said in a press release. “The longer phones stay in classrooms, the harder it becomes to undo the damage.”

Senate Minority Leader Dinah Sykes, D-Lenexa, said that reducing phone use in classrooms does more than minimize distractions, and it creates a more productive learning environment.

“Studies show that classrooms without phones have more engaged students leading to face-to-face conversations, stronger peer relationships, safer school environments and better academic outcomes,” Sykes said in the release. “Kansas has world class teachers and world class schools and we need to keep it that way and this legislation helps us do that.”

The legislation provides flexibility to schools to set enforcement procedures and disciplinary consequences. Districts can also choose to limit or ban device use during school-sponsored activities outside of class time.

In addition, the legislation restricts how school employees communicate with students online. It prohibits private or two-way communications between an employee and a student on social media platforms for official school purposes. Platforms such as Snapchat, Instagram, Facebook, X, and TikTok are included under this definition. However, the districts can approve a social media platform to be used for official school purposes, such as posting about school functions, activities or events.

If passed, schools will need to certify to the Kansas State Board of Education by Sept. 1, 2026, that they have adopted the required policies.

The Lawrence school district has already implemented a policy restricting cellphone and personal device use during instructional time. As the Journal-World reported, the school board approved a new cellphone policy that made high school classrooms phone-free during instructional time unless phones were being utilized for a specific instructional purpose, and it was implemented in January 2025. However, high school students are allowed to use personal electronic devices during non-instructional activities such as during lunch or passing periods.

Elementary school students are not allowed to use cellphones at school. Middle school students may not use them during class or passing periods, but their principals may use discretion when deciding about student use of cell phones during lunch.

Blasi and Sykes said in their joint press release that they expected the legislation — which already has more than two-thirds of the Senate signed on as co-sponsors — to quickly pass the Senate in January. The bill then would need approval of the Kansas House and the signature of the governor to become law. The next session of the Kansas Legislature begins on Monday.