TOPEKA — Cell phones are one step closer to disappearing from Kansas classrooms after the House passed a bill that would require a daytime device ban to public and private schools.
Social connection, phone addiction and parental choice came into play in an hours-long debate Monday that involved Republicans and Democrats crossing the aisle to ultimately support a bill that would apply to public and private schools.
The bipartisan ban proposes a bell-to-bell prohibition on cell phone use, requiring schools to craft detailed policies to ensure devices are turned off and stored away during the school day and to enact disciplinary measures for students who violate a ban.
A cascade of changes as House Substitute for Senate Bill 281 made its way through committee resulted in a bill that only mandated a ban in public schools and merely suggested one for private schools.
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Republican Rep. Jill Ward of Wichita added a provision Monday to apply the mandate to both public and nonpublic schools. The bill itself drew mixed reactions from each party, and so did Ward’s amendment.
“These kids’ lives are just as negatively impacted by phones as those that attend public schools,” Ward said.
Students wouldn’t be allowed under the bill to use cellphones or other electronic communication devices, smartwatches and earbuds during the schoolday, which includes passing period and lunch time, unless the student is allowed to leave school grounds during lunch.
Rep. Kristey Williams, an Augusta Republican, said private schools should receive the same funding as public schools if the same rules must apply. She said she agreed with the need to address devices and their connection to mental health issues in children, but she said the bill, with Ward’s amendment, would be equivalent to a de facto state operation of private, religious schools.
She said many parents choose private schools because they don’t want to deal with state mandates.
Ward’s amendment passed with 68 voting in favor and 55 against.
Some Democrats opposed the bill entirely, favoring phones in school in the event of emergencies such as natural disasters or school shootings. Others didn’t think a one-size-fits-all policy was appropriate for schools with unique needs.
Rep. Carolyn Caiharr, a Republican from Edwardsville, attempted to strip the bill, re-adding language to make bans optional for private schools.
Some, like Republican Rep. Sean Tarwater of Stilwell, were torn. He said Monday that he couldn’t support Caiharr’s amendment, arguing that all children matter.
“In my opinion, children are children, mental health is mental health and suicide is suicide, no matter what school you go to,” Tarwater said. “Are we trying to help some children or all children here?”
Caiharr said Kansas has a long tradition of respecting educational diversity and removing private schools from the bill maintains that tradition.
Sixty seven representatives opposed her amendment, and 54 voted in favor, retaining the inclusion of private and public schools. The House voted on the bill Tuesday with 76 in favor and 45 against, forwarding it to the Senate.
The Senate unanimously passed a previous version of the bill, which applied to both public and private schools, but it must vote again in the wake of House changes.
Rep. Angela Martinez, a Wichita Democrat, said Tuesday a phone-free school day restores focus and encourages relationship building. Rep. Steven Howe, a Salina Republican, said a cell phone ban restores human connection and slackens the grip big tech companies have exercised over kids’ attention.
Rep. Samantha Poetter Parshall, a Paola Republican, said the bill leaves students helpless, eliminating a tool used to document bullying and removing a piece of parents’ rights.
Williams said Tuesday decisions for private school students should be up to parents and individual schools, not the state.
“This bill opens a door we should keep closed,” she said.
Kansas Reflector is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Kansas Reflector maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Sherman Smith for questions: info@kansasreflector.com. Follow Kansas Reflector on Facebook and Twitter.
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