As school districts like Olathe and Grandview enforce stricter cell phone policies, a group of parents in the Shawnee Mission School District are taking action against the use of cell phones in classrooms.
They created an online petition “Shawnee Mission School District Phone Free Schools Petition” to submit to the school board to show just how many parents are concerned.
“In less than two weeks, about 800 signatures, with, you know, just our little small reach,” said one of the parents leading the charge, Allison Brimblecom.
Brimblecom has worked closely with Kim Whitman and her “Phone Free Schools Movement” .
“Let’s not be the last district to join this movement,” Brimblecom said. “Let’s be leaders in this movement.”
The SMSD’s current policy simply asks for phones to be put away during class. Brimblecom and other parents want a full phone ban, so kids can’t use their phones during free periods or lunch.
“We’ve seen it be successful in other districts, I think that’s why we want it for our kids as well,” Brimblecom said.