More KC-area high schools are tightening cellphone restrictions, joining trend

After restricting cellphone access for elementary and middle schoolers in Park Hill for this school year, the district has decided to limit cellphone use for students district-wide, including in high schools.

For the 2025-26 school year, high school students will not be allowed to use personal electronic devices during class time. This includes cellphones, smart watches, earbuds, Bluetooth devices and personal devices that connect to the internet. Students will be allowed to use devices during passing periods and lunch.

“A lot of the drivers for this decision were around eliminating distractions,” said Kelly Wachel, the chief communications officer for Park Hill Schools.

Park Hill is the latest district to join a growing trend in the metro of districts cracking down on cellphone use.

The decision comes after the high school personal electronic device task force met several times since last year to review the district’s policy. The team submitted their findings at the school board meeting on Thursday night. The task force was made up of 30 members of the Park Hill community — including teachers, high school students, faculty members and parents.

Wachel said the idea of a new cellphone policy has been brought up several times in the past two years by parents and teachers concerned about students being distracted during learning time.

In some cases, some students who were part of the task force said they would also like to limit access to electronic devices to focus more, said Wachel.

The district will work on the official policies in the upcoming months to have a solid policy by the start of the 2025-26 school year.