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.

[–] blueduck@piefed.social 12 points 1 week ago (3 children)

It’s also 180K for a 15-20 year refresh cycle. These are commercial units that are used in harsh environments… not a cabinet you buy once and it sits in your bedroom.

Add in wiring plus the install costs and $180K seems like a good deal

[–] CmdrShepard49@sh.itjust.works 2 points 1 week ago (1 children)

"Used in harsh environments" like a middle school office where it gets opened twice a day?

[–] anomnom@sh.itjust.works 2 points 1 week ago

Slammed twice a day for 20 years but probably kept there for 40+ if it’s like my schools as a kid.

Some of the desks at my highschool were older than any of the teachers there.

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