Last year, most students would get their phones out right when the bell to end class rang. Everyone would be on their phones during passing period and lunch. That’s not how it looks this year. Students aren’t allowed to have their phones out during the day at all. 

With Senate Bill 68 getting passed, all Missouri public schools must have a policy prohibiting the use of phones during the school day. This law was passed by Missouri State Governor Mike Kehoe in July. 

Students and staff have mixed views on the ban.

“It’s fair, but there’s just so many other big causes and a lot of other big problems, and I don’t think the phone should have been the first thing to come to mind to actually fix,” Jhocelynn Lopez-Huerta (10) said.

There are certain exceptions to the ban though. You are allowed to use your phone if it is an emergency, or if it is outlined in you IEP or 504 plan. If you need your phone for a medical situation, like checking your blood sugar, you are also allowed to use it for those needs. In the case of a school wide or personal emergency that requires immediate communication, students are allowed to use their phone with staff supervision. 

The ban is nothing new for WSD schools though as the board passed a cell phone ban in 2023.

“We’ve always had that phone ban, so we’ve had it for the last few years, and I’ve always enforced that policy. So it’s really just been consistent,” ELA teacher Mrs. Hickerson said. “You’re just keeping students focused on what’s going on in class, keeping them engaged.”

With the ban being a state law, consequences for violating are very clear and strict. For the first and second offense students will receive after school detention. If a student has excessive violations, it could result in in-school suspension and further disciplinary action, and possibly loss of privileges.

This law does not have an end date, but it can be renewed at the end of the 2025-26 school year.