Kansas HB 2299 bans phones and smartwatches in K-12 schools starting fall 2026, leaving districts to cover storage costs up to $180,000.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/50769795

At least one Kansas district is projecting $150,000 to $180,000 just to equip secondary students with individual phone lockers, according to the Wichita Eagle. The state provided zero dedicated funding. Every dollar comes from local budgets.

Districts choosing fabric locking pouches — think Yondr, the magnetic-lock system concert venues use to keep audiences present — face an estimated $30 per unit. Statewide, the Kansas Division of the Budget put that figure at roughly $13.4 million if every student received one, according to the Lawrence KS Times. Lockers require a steeper upfront investment. Neither option came with a state check attached.

Legislators passed the policy. The price tag was someone else’s problem.

  • Riskable@programming.devEnglish
    0·
    2 days ago

    Perhaps I’m a bit weird, but things like this bother me in ways that nobody else seems to think about:

    • The $180,000 is for the entire state. That’s nothing. I don’t know how many schools Kansas has, but let’s say it’s 100. That’s $1800 per school. Come on.
    • Why can’t the school just ask some locals to build them some phone lockers? Just put out a school bulletin asking for some volunteers. I’m certain that in the entire state of Kansas they have plenty of companies and locals who would be willing to make the simplest of tiny, metal lockers.

    They talk about these complicated technical solutions when all that’s necessary is a very thin, very small traditional locker. Make the kids bring their own lock! That’s what we did with lockers when I was in high school in the 90s.

    Those old school steel lockers were certified for fire resistance, BTW. Not because they went through some special certification process, but because they were steel and painted with school-certified paint (which every school district already has plenty of).

    • Postmortal_Pop@lemmy.world
      1·
      2 days ago

      Hey, Kansan here. Every single high school in Kansas has welding as an elective. They literally could have make those in house and used them as a teaching point.

      More importantly, why do the need a dedicated phone jail when you can just have numbered pigeon holes in the office?