this post was submitted on 17 Aug 2026
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308
Kansas Schools Now Collect Phones at the Door – Spends $180K On Smartphone Lockers (www.gadgetreview.com)
submitted 1 week ago by FlashMobOfOne@lemmy.world to c/technology@lemmy.world
210 comments fedilink hide all child comments
 

At least one Kansas district is projecting $150,000 to $180,000 just to equip secondary students with individual phone lockers, according to the Wichita Eagle. The state provided zero dedicated funding. Every dollar comes from local budgets.

Districts choosing fabric locking pouches — think Yondr, the magnetic-lock system concert venues use to keep audiences present — face an estimated $30 per unit. Statewide, the Kansas Division of the Budget put that figure at roughly $13.4 million if every student received one, according to the Lawrence KS Times. Lockers require a steeper upfront investment. Neither option came with a state check attached.

Legislators passed the policy. The price tag was someone else’s problem.

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[–] FlashMobOfOne@lemmy.world 68 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (15 children)

It is long past time cell phones started to be regulated in schools. (And nationwide, but that'll never happen.)

BUT...

...what gets me is the money angle here. Can anyone out there help me understand why a temp-use cell phone locker is $180,000? To me, this just screams government malfeasance, and I'd bet someone involved in the passage of this bill either owns a company or took a bribe from the company that wants to sell $180,000 cell phone lockers that people are forced to buy.

[–] RamRabbit@lemmy.world 2 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (2 children)

100% behind phone lockers, but, I do agree the price seems too high for this specific implementation. Looks like those hold ~250 phones each and I'm going to guess should cost $500-$1,000 per locker. A school should only be spending $5k-50k on these lockers.

[–] FlashMobOfOne@lemmy.world 6 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (1 children)

Right?

$180,000 is absolutely insane. You could literally just get a lockable file cabinet from the 80's or something and put each phone in its own file folder a few hundred.

[–] Pieisawesome@lemmy.dbzer0.com 6 points 1 week ago

It’s for the entire district, and the costs don’t seem that high to me.

14000 slots for students means it’s $12.86 per student over (typically) 20 years…

$0.64 per student per year seems reasonable.

[–] dogslayeggs@lemmy.world 2 points 1 week ago

This isn't for one school, this is for the entire school district. Kansas City SD has 14,000 students across 33 schools. You also have to take into account paying for installation and shipping of 60 of those lockers.

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