For the 2025-2026 school year, a law was passed that banned cell phones at all schools in Missouri. Senate Bill 68 makes it illegal for students’ personal cell phones to be used during school. Battle High School has many opinions about Senate Bill 68.
It is a bit extreme to not be able to have it out on the cafeteria and it might be a little over board, but it is necessary,” Assistant Principal Ms. Tylisha Dade said. “[We’re] working too much time trying to patrol phones and then our teachers not being able to do the teaching and that is what they want to do. They don’t want to fight cellphones. They don’t want to fight social media. They really want to teach our kids, so that they can be citizens because you all are the next face of who we are.”
Also most districts have told parents that smartwatches are not allowed, citing the law’s ban of any “portable device that is used to initiate, receive, store, or view communication, information, images or data electronically.” The Missouri Independent reported.
Ms. Lonna Adams is an English/ELL teacher, and she has been working at Battle for four years.
The difference now with this new rule is that students are now participating, interacting with their classmates, and have seen so much growth with this school phone law.”
Teachers are not the only ones who agree or support the new law.
Junior Jose Morales said, “The principals, teachers, and admins wanted this law to help the students so they can focus and not worry about them being on their phones 24/7 this law was made with good intentions.”
If students are using their phones while in class, students may get their phone taken away and will have it locked away for the rest of the school day. If it gets worse by students not giving it away they will call parents to pick up the phones, and get referrals for not putting it away.
“This law will not become a problem if the students are smart and do not break the law,” Junior Laris Jimenez said, “It’s not a big deal to have their phone locked or have them in their backpacks.” She does not believe it’s a problem to anyone if students use it in lunch or passing time. She feels that in lunch if there’s an emergency and students need to use their phone and students can’t because teachers and admin will give students a referral or the school keeps them for the rest of the day and she says that it’s just impractical.
Along with Jimenez, Ms. Amy Jammeh is an ELL teacher, and she has a similar statement regarding the new phone law. They both feel the phone is useful but also harmful.
“It was necessary to make some kind of change and as a teacher, was a big distraction, also having to worry about students not being productive is a waste of time” Ms. Jammeh, said. However, she does believe that cellphones can also be used for educational purposes like Blooket, or for lunch, but “there had to be a change.”