School cellphone ban legislation is potentially on shaky ground over provisions that would apply to private schools.
Senate Bill 302 would require school districts and accredited nonpublic schools to prohibit the use of personal electronic communication devices during instructional time and prohibit any employee of a school district or accredited nonpublic school from using social media to directly communicate with any student for official school purposes.
According to the Sunflower State Journal, however, some legislators have concerns about applying a cellphone ban to accredited private schools.
The Journal reports that Senate Education Chair Renee Erickson is expressing reservations.
“I have a hard time putting mandates on private schools when they don’t receive the resources and benefits that public schools do,” Erickson said. “It is a key point for me and I’ve made no secret of that.”
If the bill passes, Kansas would join 33 other states and the District of Columbia in either banning or restricting cellphone use on campus.
Erickson stressed that she was not opposed to banning cellphones in public schools, but was concerned about the private school provisions.
“Since when do we dictate to private schools what they can and cannot do?” she said.
Imposing operating requirements on private schools is not just an education issue; the implications of government telling private entities how to operate extend to the entire private sector.
According to the Journal, Erickson noted that private schools do not necessarily have to be accredited by the state.
“In this case, they have no choice,” Erickson said of the cellphone ban. “In this case, they have no option, no out. They have to comply.”
National education policy group ExcelinEd In Action has some concerns about the private school cellphone ban provisions as well.
Cellphone ban driven by data showing danger of allowing too much screen time
A 2023 study found that excessive screen time “has been related to worse executive functioning and academic performance. As screen time reduces the quantity and quality of interactions between children and their caregivers, it can also affect language development. Contextual factors such as co-viewing and topic appropriateness are key in determining how language development is affected. Additionally, excessive screen usage has detrimental effects on social and emotional growth, including a rise in the likelihood of obesity, sleep disorders, and mental health conditions, including depression and anxiety. It can obstruct the ability to interpret emotions, fuel aggressive conduct, and harm one’s psychological health in general.”
This was echoed in testimony from Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor Anthony Dummermuth, who supports the bill.
“Young people right now are having more trouble focusing for significant periods of time, unable to listen and be present in class, in conversations, or for such things as simply reading an actual book,” he wrote. “This is largely due to the onslaught of smartphones and social media taking over their everyday lives. With the flood of random information online, what is truly important and of value to learn becomes lost or indecipherable.”
Senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute for Policy Research, John Ketcham, also submitted testimony in favor of the cellphone ban bill.
“Teachers across the country report that phones are among the most persistent disruptions to classroom learning. Incessant pings and vibrations draw students’ attention away from their lessons and impede retention,” Ketcham wrote. “The immediate gratification that results from checking phones further reinforces compulsive behavior. Phone use also distracts nearby peers who are earnestly trying to learn. This, in turn, contributes to a schoolwide environment that undermines academic excellence.”
Ketcham said one of the bill’s important aspects is that it defines “instructional time” as “bell to bell.”
“This broad restriction is essential to ensure that students engage in focused learning and age-appropriate, face-to-face socialization throughout the school day,” Ketcham wrote.
Opposition to the bill largely focuses on local control, while recognizing the need for restrictions.
Kansas Association of School Boards Assistant Executive Director of Advocacy Leah Fliter noted that, as of July 2025, at least 240 school districts in Kansas had adopted policies regulating cellphone use during the day.
