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

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.

  • andros_rex@lemmy.worldEnglish
    1·
    1 hour ago

    You, on the other hand, see metal detectors in the halls and think it makes kids safer. You see squad cars outside and think they’re going to protect you. You get to work with the same cop that might kill the parent of one of your kids one day

    Now you are hallucinating. Where the fuck did I say any of that. Sorry you failed to make your argument, now you’re just spouting nonsense.

    Time to admit that you have ZERO experience here and have to resort to non sequitors and straw men. (FYI - one of the papers I wrote in graduate school was a literature review on why metal detectors are ineffective. Maybe my dissertation will be about how cell phone bans are effective… I also fought cops in middle schools locally, so doubly fuck you by the way)