A group of Shawnee Mission School District parents has followed up their request for cell phone free schools with a petition to the school board. The petition, circulated since last week via Google forms, asks the board to create a clear policy on phones and electronic devices. As of last Thursday, it had 300 signatures, said Allison Brimblecom, one of three signers. The petition springs from an “action meeting” of Shawnee Mission district parents and teachers last Tuesday that was attended by 40 or 50, Brimblecom said. Although it doesn’t give specifics of how the policy should look, “our hope is they will adopt a policy of storing devices from bell to bell,” meaning phones would not be allowed during lunch or passing periods, she said. School districts throughout the country have grappled with the issue of phone use in school. But bans have sometimes met with opposition from parents worried that their children might need to contact them, especially in an emergency. Student cell phones have also been used to document violent incidents on school property.
Source: Johnson County Post
