{"id":44592,"date":"2026-08-14T15:21:24","date_gmt":"2026-08-14T10:21:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=44592"},"modified":"2026-08-14T15:21:24","modified_gmt":"2026-08-14T10:21:24","slug":"kansas-students-forced-to-put-cell-phones-in-lockers-before-school-as-new-bell-to-bell-law-enforced","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=44592","title":{"rendered":"Kansas students forced to put cell phones in lockers before school as new &#8216;bell to bell&#8217; law enforced"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script>\r\n  atOptions = {\r\n    'key' : '644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6',\r\n    'format' : 'iframe',\r\n    'height' : 90,\r\n    'width' : 728,\r\n    'params' : {}\r\n  };\r\n<\/script>\r\n<script src=\"https:\/\/www.highperformanceformat.com\/644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<br \/><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content%2Fuploads%2Fsites%2F2%2F2026%2F08%2F137382439.jpg?quality%3D90%26strip%3Dall\" \/><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>Kansas students have been forced to put cell phones into lockers before they set foot in class as part of a blanket ban on the devices in schools across the state.<\/p>\n<p>Thousands of students in grades K-12 are banned from using their cell phones during the school day under HB 2299, which outgoing Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly <a href=\"https:\/\/www.governor.ks.gov\/Home\/Components\/News\/News\/952\/56\">signed into law<\/a> in March and hailed as a tool to \u201creduce distractions in the classroom.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>School districts are granted the flexibility to enforce the policy as they see fit.<\/p>\n<p>Schools in the Kansas City public school district have spent $150,000 on special lockers for students to slot in their cell phones before class, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kctv5.com\/2026\/08\/10\/kansas-banned-phones-school-heres-what-happens-your-kids-device\/\">KCTV reported.<\/a><\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Some students in Kansas are being forced to put their cell phones in special lockers under a new \u2018bell to bell\u2019 law. <span class=\"credit\">KCTV 5<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Video has since gone viral showing kids at Wyandotte High School putting their cell phones into a cage with a glass window as a supervisor seemingly provides oversight of the high-tech gadgets at the start of the school day at 7:25 a.m.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"single__inline-module aligncenter wp-block-nypost-editor-primary-tag\">\n<\/aside>\n<p>The cell phone cage cannot be accessed during school hours and students are required to collect their device at the end of the school day at 2:25 p.m.<\/p>\n<p>Wyandotte High\u2019s enforcement of the policy has sparked division online.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou don\u2019t think the kids will put a 2nd or broken phone in there and keep their regular phone on them?\u201d one Facebook user suggested.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen someone steals the whole rolling cart is the school insured to replace 450-650 phones?\u201d another reacted.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAre they even checking to see if the phones are working phones?\u201d a third asked. \u201cWho\u2019s to say the kids aren\u2019t turning in an old phone and hanging on to their actual phone?\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Kansas has banned cell phones in schools under a new \u2018bell to bell\u2019 law. <span class=\"credit\">KCTV 5<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Some students are required to put their phones in lockers, but not all school districts have rolled out this policy. <span class=\"credit\">Amazon<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cMy question is what about students that rely on their phone to alert them their blood sugar has gone up or down?\u201d a parent asked. \u201cI sure hope there are exemptions for these students.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Wyandotte High students also have the option of leaving their cell phones at home or inside their cars. Not every school is following the approach of Wyandotte High.<\/p>\n<p>Students in the nearby Piper Unified School District can store their cell phones in a traditional locker they don\u2019t access during the school day.<\/p>\n<p>Basehor-Linwood Unified School District officials have bought special lockers for high school students.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>The bill was signed into law on March 19 by Governor Laura Kelly.  <span class=\"credit\">Kansas Office of the Governor<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Students busted using their cell phones will have it confiscated for the entire day for a first-time offense.<\/p>\n<p>Those caught flouting the ban three times will be suspended from school for a day.<\/p>\n<p>Students in the Shawnee Mission Unified School District are being encouraged to leave their cell phones at home, in their locker, or in their car.<\/p>\n<p>The policy applies to accredited private schools across the state. Students at Kansas City Christian school can buy a $25 pouch to store their phone if they choose to.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-9-16 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\n<p>\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"KS banned phones in school. Where do they go?\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/tq6gMw9mX4k?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<p>Students have been warned they are not allowed to keep their devices in pockets or backpacks.<\/p>\n<p>The ban also applies to personal tablets, computers, smartwatches, wireless headphones and text messaging devices.<\/p>\n<p>There are exceptions for students who need a device for a medical reason or part of an education plan.<\/p>\n<p>The ban doesn\u2019t apply to computers or devices that are issued by schools.<\/p>\n<p>The law was backed on a bipartisan scale \u2013 with a majority of 32 votes to four in the state senate, and 84-39 in the House of Representatives.<\/p>\n<p>State Senator Cindy Holscher, who is the Democratic Party\u2019s gubernatorial candidate in Kansas in November, voted against the bill.\u00a0<\/p>\n<div class=\"single__inline-module inline-module inline-module--newsletter aligncenter inline-module--nypostbusinessunit aligncenter wp-block-nypost-editor-newsletter\" data-source-unit=\"Inline Newsletter Module Morning Report\">\n<div class=\"inline-module__inner\">\n<div class=\"inline-module__title-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"inline-module__unsubmitted-title-wrapper\">\n<h3 class=\"inline-module__title headline headline--combo-sm-md\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tStart your day with all you need to know\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h3>\n<p class=\"inline-module__cta\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tMorning Report delivers the latest news, videos, photos and more.\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><h3 class=\"inline-module__title headline headline--combo-sm-md\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\tThanks for signing up!\t\t\t\t\t<\/h3>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>\u201cThis bill oversteps local school boards and does little to address the real mental health challenges students are facing,\u201d she <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/cindyforkansas\/posts\/pfbid0EzNoGiYU4zwGk8a187hUZfJgNyoRosDuXquHBTqWdm2Z6yojfUobn9ptBFnrFuuWl\">said in March.<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u201cOur teachers and school districts are already stretched thin. Instead of adding another statewide mandate, we should be working with local leaders to find solutions that truly support students and their well-being. There are far better ways to help our kids succeed.<\/p>\n<p>Democratic Rep. Stephanie Clayton also voted against the law.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAs the parent of a teenager, I am very cognizant of the fact that phones are a necessary evil \u2014 especially if you have a child who drives to school,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p>Andover Republican Ty Masterson, Holscher\u2019s rival in November\u2019s election, voted in favor of the ban.<\/p>\n<p>A similar \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2026\/05\/14\/lifestyle\/nyc-teachers-say-phone-ban-in-classrooms-has-caused-jaw-dropping-change-in-students-attention\/\">bell to bell\u201d ban is in force<\/a> across public schools in New York, affecting almost a million children.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<script async=\"async\" data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"https:\/\/pl30214220.effectivecpmnetwork.com\/9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<div id=\"container-9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\"><\/div>\r\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Kansas students have been forced to put cell phones into lockers before they set foot in class as part of a blanket ban on the devices in schools across the state. Thousands of students in grades K-12 are banned from using their cell phones during the school day under HB 2299, which outgoing Kansas Gov&#8230;.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":44593,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/08\/137382439.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=1200","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-44592","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-pics-news"],"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44592","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=44592"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44592\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/44593"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=44592"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=44592"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=44592"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}