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.
We don't use any parental controls. Our kids have always been very trustworthy. I disabled all Google parental spying and blocking for my son as soon as the age limitations would allow it. (My stepdaughter was under the thumb of her father's monitoring for a long time. She had to face his wrath when she turned off location sharing with him on her iPhone... her second year of college.)
We had to brow-beat my son into getting a WhatsApp account so he could chat with his classmates (his actual friends use Signal, but WhatsApp is what group chats mostly use in Holland). 😅