Erika McGuire
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
Columbia Public Schools is implementing a “cellphone free” policy for the 2025–26 school year, aligning with a statewide mandate.
In July, Gov. Mike Kehoe signed Senate Bill 68 banning the use of cell phones during instructional time, lunch breaks, study halls and between passing periods, for all K-12 students.
To implement the law, during school hours cellphones must be turned off, or on silent mode, and stored in their backpacks or lockers. The change differs from last year for high school students, who were able to use them outside of class periods.
Last year, the district had a cellphone policy in place that banned phone usage for middle school students all day, including in the bathrooms, hallways and lunch.
The district says accommodations will be made for students who require a personal electronic device for medical assistance.
CPS spokesperson Michelle Baumstark reflected on last year’s policy, saying enforcing a cellphone police is nothing new to the district and this new state law broadens the restrictions.
“The premise is really about making sure that students stay connected to their learning in the classroom, to minimize disruptions,” Baumstark said. “This is really about, just enforcing our policies, using the discipline practices, behavior management, classroom management, in order to be able to ensure that they have a learning environment that is conducive to achievement,”
If a parent needs to contact their children during school hours, they can contact the main school office and the office staff will relay any urgent messages to the students, according to the CPS policy.
Baumstark says students who are caught using their cellphones can face escalating consequences.
“This will just be a reinforcement that we’re expanding, there is periods of time for warnings and you know giving reminder,” Baumstark said. “Then there’s a daily confiscation or asking parents to come get it, so it’s sort of an escalating process when it comes to disciplinary action related to cell phones.
“…We also understand that there will be some grace at the beginning as everyone is learning those new processes. But we really want our parents to be partners in this with us, it is a state law. We do have to do it.”
Baumstark said teachers will be out in the halls during passing periods to make sure students are not using their phones.
Crystal Graves, cofounder of The Bold Academy, said her children will not get a phone until they are 13-years-old and they cannot take their phones to school. She is in favor of the change.
“I think technology can be a distraction as a whole, not just for my kids, but as an adult,” Graves said. “My sister is the vice president of the the Ferguson-Florissant School District in St. Louis and they banned it three years ago. And they’ve had such a huge increase in academic scores, less bullying in school. I think it’s absolutely great they should have did it a long time ago. We went so many years without phones,”
Melita Walker, co-founder of The Bole Academy and former principal at West Middle School, said the elimination of phones in schools is a win.
“Research has shown that a lot of the kids are addicted, and any reading or reading anything in any way whether its a silent vibration, it distracts the kids from the learning and then its hard to get them back on track,” Walker said. “It’s an absolutely great band and it’s very helpful to the students and the classroom learns in general.
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