Ring the bell, not the phone: Lawmakers push for focused classrooms

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) -- A new piece of Missouri legislation, Senate Bill 68, is sparking conversations about the role of technology in classrooms.

The bill, sponsored by State Sen. Mike Henderson, R-Desloge, proses a statewide policy that would restrict the use of personal electronic devices, such as cell phones, during the entire school day.

In an X post made by State Sen. Henderson in February, he thanked the Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe for support on SB 68.

"Removing cellphones from classrooms are important for the wellbeing and education of Missouri's students.," State Sen. Henderson said on X. "Students deserve to learn in distraction-free environments and this bill is a big step in the right direction."

This bell-to-bell ban would encompass class time, lunch breaks and passing periods. Exceptions are outlined for emergencies, health-related needs and instructional purposes when authorized by a teacher.

While the SJSD board of education hasn't discussed this bill as a whole, Board President Latonya Williams said it will take effort for administrators, teachers and parents to keep children off their phones during class.

"If this is a rule, everyone needs to be involved in the implementation of that rule. Administration will need a lot of the buy-in from parents as well," Williams said.

The ban does allow individual school districts the flexibility to determine how the rule is to be implemented, choosing methods like phones in lockers, locking devices in magnetic pouches or stricter timeframes for phone access.

For upper grades, Williams said the current rules of cellphone usage in schools includes using phones at the beginning of the day, during lunch and after the final bell. However, she said the implementation is the problem.

"It just kind of depends on the school as much as I'm aware," Williams said. "I know that the admin are doing as much as they are able to do but implementation on a phone is really difficult."

In addition to the no cellphone policy in the bill, it's accompanied by Get the Lead Out of School Drinking Water (Section 160.077), Cardiac Emergency Response Plans (Section 160.482) and Stop the Bleed Act (Section 160. 485), along with others.

With the support of Gov. Kehoe the bill will likely be signed into law.