ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. — Governor Mike Kehoe signed a new bill into law last week that bans students from using cell phones, and now local schools, including the Parkway School District, are following suit.
Under the new law, signed as Senate Bill 68, students will not be allowed to use their personal cell phones “from the beginning of the school day until the end of the school day.” The ban begins during the upcoming school year and applies to students between kindergarten and the 12th grade.
St. Louis area schools are now implementing the ban. While Parkway School District initially announced stricter phone restrictions earlier this year, the district will now be required to implement the complete ban.
In April, the Parkway School Board approved a new policy that barred elementary and middle school students from using cell phones and other devices during school hours. High school students would only be barred from using them in class but could access them before school, during passing periods, at lunch, and after school.
Now, all students in the district from kindergarten through the 12th grade will be prohibited from using cell phones from the first to the last bell, including lunch and passing periods.
According to the new policy, “students will be subject to disciplinary action and may have their devices confiscated if they violate the new policy.”
The school will only allow a student to use their cell phone during an emergency that threatens the student’s safety while at school, for health-related purposes, or for educational purposes as approved by the faculty and staff.
The policy also states students will not be allowed to use other devices such as smartwatches, laptops, iPads, and tablets. Parkway will be expected to still use their school-provided Chromebook during the school day.
An August 2024 SLU/YouGov poll found strong support for a statewide cell phone ban in Missouri schools, with 72% of respondents favoring a ban on high school students using phones during school hours. The poll also found support to be consistent across political lines.
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