Derby School Board Approves 2026-27 Bell-to-Bell Phone Ban Under Kansas Law

1 articles · Updated · The Derby Informer · Jun 29

June 25's unanimous vote bars Derby students from using personal phones and other devices anywhere on school property during the full school day starting this fall.
House Bill 2299 drove the change, requiring Kansas districts to adopt bell-to-bell bans and device-storage rules; Derby's policy says devices must be powered off and kept inaccessible.
IEP, Section 504 and physician-documented medical exceptions were built in, reflecting implementation concerns the board debated over student safety, parent contact and enforcement.
A second policy also bars staff from private social-media communication with students and from requiring social media for classwork or activities, steering communication to ParentSquare.
The move caps more than a year of Derby discussions that began with a 2025 screen-time task-force review and tightened 2025-26 high school rules before the district adopted a full-day ban.