By Trish Svoboda/Image courtesy Canva

The Kansas Legislature has advanced a bill that would change rules for schools across the state. House Bill 2299, amended by the Senate, focuses on how schools manage phones, social media and how private schools are recognized.

Under the bill, school districts and private schools accredited by the state would be required to treat national or regional accreditation the same as state accreditation. It also would ban students from using personal electronic devices like cell phones during the school day. Students would have to turn off phones and other devices and store them away at school unless they have a medical or special education reason to use them.

The measure also prohibits school employees from communicating with students through social media for official school purposes, with some exceptions for approved school accounts. Local school boards would have to create policies that follow these new rules.

Supporters say the bill would help limit distractions in classrooms and protect students from inappropriate online contact. The bill now moves forward in the legislative process.