Many schools have enforced phone policies in previous years; however, this year looks a little bit different in Kentucky. 34 states in the US have implemented phone laws in public schools, including Kentucky. Kentucky House Bill 208 was signed into law on March 26, 2025, to be implemented in the 25-26 school year. This law has also impacted the way the phone system operates in WCHS.
WCHS did not have a formal policy for phones until moving into the new school in the second semester of the 2024-2025 school year. Students heard rumors that when they moved to the new school, they would no longer be allowed to have phones and would be required to store them in “phone lockers.” This came as a surprise to students. At the old WCHS building, the expectation was no phones, but it was mainly up to the teacher’s discretion. Students could still be disciplined and may have received a referral if they did not follow the teacher’s rules for their classroom. Then, when moving to the new school, the students were required to place their phones in a phone box at the beginning of class. Phones were then locked up until the end of class, when students were able to grab them before leaving. Kentucky House Bill 208 has affected the way public schools enforce phone use. The bill states in Chapter 90, Part 1a, “The board of education of each school district shall adopt a policy regarding the possession and use of a personal telecommunications device by a student while on school property.” It also states in Chapter 90 Part 1b, “The policy shall, at a minimum, prohibit a student’s use of a personal telecommunications device during instructional time, except during an emergency, if directed to do so by a teacher for an instructional purpose.” Woodford County High School has applied this law that during instructional time, students are obligated to put their phones in the phone lockers until the last two minutes of class. During non-instructional time, such as HIVE, students are not required to put their phones in the box unless told by a teacher. While some teachers may not enforce a phone policy during this time, some still advise that it be put away. Some students have said that the phone policy has benefitted them, limiting distractions and allowing them to get their work done.
During both the second semester of the 24-25 school year and the first semester of the 25-26 school year, students seemed to start out strong following the phone policy. However, as time went on, students have slowly begun defying the rules of the phone lockers. The bill leaves disciplinary action up to the judgment of the district and school. According to the WCHS Student Code of Conduct, “Use of any telecommunication device, including but not limited to smart watches, smart phones, fitness trackers, and other devices, which results in the infraction of any other discipline policy, is subject to an appropriate consequence for that violation in addition to the consequence for violating the personal telecommunication device policy.” If students fail to comply with the phone policy that WCHS has set, which includes not placing phones in the locker during instructional time, they are subject to the repercussions if caught using their device or if it makes any alert or noise. The Code of Conduct also discusses different degrees of disciplinary action. At the first level, students may have their phones confiscated by teachers or receive a disciplinary referral. Then, they may have a check-in/check-out process through the office. If the issue persists, the office may keep the phone overnight.
Kentucky House Bill 208 has made changes to our school; however, results show that not having cell phones during instructional time may not be so bad after all.
