At its December meeting, the Kansas State Board of Education approved a set of recommendations focused on student cell phone use at school, screen time, mental health and the use of district-provided devices.

The recommendations were developed by a 36-member task force that included superintendents, principals, teachers, students, parents, IT staff, State Board members and legislators appointed by the Board. These recommendations are not binding and State Board members emphasized that districts should have the flexibility to develop policies tailored to their specific needs. The recommendations are intended to serve as guidance, based on the task force’s research conducted earlier this year.

Key Recommendations

The task force has recommended that school districts implement a “bell-to-bell” prohibition on cell phone use, which would ban students from using personal electronic devices throughout the school day, including in the classroom, between classes and during lunch. This would also include requiring phones to be secured so students cannot access them.

Considering screen time restrictions for your district? Set the stage for success with our Guide to Cell Phone Policies.

Some Kansas school districts have already adopted similar policies, which have reportedly reduced learning distractions and encouraged more face-to-face communication among students. However, many districts have yet to take this step due to concerns about the cost and logistics of securing phones and some parents’ worries about losing communication with their children during the day.

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Addressing Student Internet Use

They also provided recommendations to address concerns beyond cell phones, including:

• Providing “Digital Citizenship” education on responsible internet use, using materials from independent and unbiased sources.
• Sharing independent, peer-reviewed research with students, families and staff on the mental health effects of social media, gaming, online messaging and texting.
• Ensuring your district has communication methods outside of social media so students and families don’t need to rely on it for school contact.
• Encouraging educators to provide students with regular breaks from screen time during the school day.

School-Issued Devices

The task force also provided several recommendations aimed at giving parents more information and control over school-issued devices that students take home.

More details on the task force’s research and recommendations are available here.