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When Missouri K-12 public school students head back to school this fall, they won’t be able to use their phones during school hours. Gov. Mike Kehoe has signed a school safety package into law that requires school boards to decide whether phones will be kept in designated areas or if students can keep their phones on them.
“I personally made this a part of the campaign as we ran,” Kehoe told Missourinet. “I’m a fan of the cell phone ban – bell to bell cell phone ban. I think kids should be interacting with each other, interacting with teachers, talking to each other at lunch. Senator Mike Henderson, he was the lead in the Senate and great House handlers as well. Senator Henderson is a former educator. And so, he understands not just school safety, but the things that it takes to get better results for our kids coming out of school.”
The bill contains some exceptions, including for students who need their cellphones to help with educational and medical needs.
“We’re at a point now where we’ve got to do everything we can to make sure our kids are ready for the real world when they get out of whatever level school they go to. A lot of pieces in this bill will help those kids get prepared for whatever it is they want to do in life,” said Kehoe.
Missouri will join a list of states that have already banned cell phone use during school hours.
Kehoe addresses a concern among some parents.
“I understand the angst that parents have that are, ‘How do I get a hold of my child if there’s an emergency?’ Previous generations have worked through that and I think technology in schools now on how they can notify parents if there’s something going on or how parents can notify the school if they need to get a hold of their child – that technology has come leaps and bounds,” said Kehoe.
The bipartisan package also contains the following requirements:
•Schools must have response plans for armed intruders, natural disasters, and medical emergencies.
•Schools must have doors with anti-intruder locks and bullet-resistant window film in new construction by 2029 – if the state provides the funding.
•Students must participate in active shooter drills
•Schools must have a plan to respond when people have heart problems or other life-threatening emergencies while on campus.
•School employees must take CPR training
•During enrollment, schools must request assessments to determine if the students are demonstrating behaviors that put them at risk of endangering themselves or others.
•Allowing schools to make a request to the court system to exclude students from school if there is a likelihood of danger to students and employees. The information can be used to provide an alternative place for the student to learn.
•Schools must annually provide age-appropriate information on the Missouri State Highway Patrol’s Courage2ReportMO reporting mechanism
Senate Bill 68 will become law at the end of August.
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