Kansas enacts statewide ban on phones, earbuds and smartwatches in schools

A new Kansas law will prohibit students from using personal cellular devices, earbuds and smartwatches throughout the school day, and a parent group is urging tighter controls on iPad use.

Kansas will soon enforce a law that bars students from accessing personal cellular devices, earbuds and smartwatches from the start to the end of the school day. In the Shawnee Mission School District, Superintendent Michael Schumacher announced that children must store phones at home, in their cars or in school-provided lockers, and that school-issued iPads will no longer be taken home except for designated work. Parent Megan Coffey, a member of the advocacy group Schools Beyond Screens, praised the measure, citing research on distraction and mental-health impacts.

Another parent, Gretchen Shanahan, expressed concern over her elementary children receiving iPads during indoor recess and encountering inappropriate content, prompting calls for stricter oversight. Schools Beyond Screens is now lobbying for bans on personal devices for kindergarten through second grade, restrictions on YouTube, and a pause on AI policy rollouts. Schumacher indicated the district will involve the community in shaping new technology and AI guidelines.