At least one Kansas district is projecting $150,000 to $180,000 just to equip secondary students with individual phone lockers, according to the Wichita Eagle. The state provided zero dedicated funding. Every dollar comes from local budgets.
Districts choosing fabric locking pouches — think Yondr, the magnetic-lock system concert venues use to keep audiences present — face an estimated $30 per unit. Statewide, the Kansas Division of the Budget put that figure at roughly $13.4 million if every student received one, according to the Lawrence KS Times. Lockers require a steeper upfront investment. Neither option came with a state check attached.
Legislators passed the policy. The price tag was someone else’s problem.
I grew up with no portable electronics available at all, we also didn’t learn shit. If your topic is shit and your presentation is boring, kids would find how to ignore you. If it’s interesting, they will listen to you no matter how many smartphones they have. It’s hard, that’s for sure, but this infantilising bullshit makes it harder, not easier. You have to treat the kids like people, that’s the only way. Also you need to recognise that they aren’t adults, so you can’t expect them have hours of uninterrupted attention, smartphones or not.