this post was submitted on 17 Aug 2026
308 points (97.0% liked)

Technology

87515 readers
2779 users here now

This is a most excellent place for technology news and articles.

Our Rules

  1. Follow the lemmy.world rules.
  2. Only tech related news or articles.
  3. Be excellent to each other!
  4. Mod approved content bots can post up to 10 articles per day.
  5. Threads asking for personal tech support may be deleted.
  6. Politics threads may be removed.
  7. No memes allowed as posts, OK to post as comments.
  8. Only approved bots from the list below, this includes using AI responses and summaries. To ask if your bot can be added please contact a mod.
  9. Check for duplicates before posting, duplicates may be removed
  10. Accounts 7 days and younger will have their posts automatically removed.

Approved Bots

founded 3 years ago
MODERATORS
L3s@lemmy.world
enu@lemmy.world
technopagan@lemmy.world
L4s@lemmy.world
L3s@hackingne.ws
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.

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[–] 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.

[–] DarkFuture@lemmy.world -2 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Can anyone out there help me understand why a temp-use cell phone locker is $180,000?

Corruption.

[–] Pieisawesome@lemmy.dbzer0.com 3 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.

load more comments (13 replies)