KSHB 41 reporter Claire Bradshaw covers eastern Jackson County, including Blue Springs and Independence. Share your story idea with Claire.
—
The Lee's Summit School Board wants to hear from parents, students and other community members on how cell phones are present in school.
Three dinners with the board will discuss the topic over pizza.
Attendees will weigh the pros and cons of the devices and share their conversations and concerns with the group.
The second meeting is set for Monday, Sept. 16, from 6:30-8:30 p.m. at Lee's Summit High School's lecture hall. The third and final meeting will be held Monday, Sept. 23.
The district asks attendees RSVP ahead of time here.
KSHB 41 News attended the first dinner. The common pros and cons brought up connectivity in case of health or school emergencies and the risk of distraction in class.
“So one of the first benefits was obviously it's convenient to be able to reach your kids. It's convenient for them to be able to reach out to you for a safety connection if something is dangerous that's happening at school," one person shared during the public comment.
“Even if it's in their pocket and it's buzz, buzz, buzz, buzz, buzz. Even if they are a good kid and they are trying to focus and pay attention, those are still distracting them from learning, and that's a really big concern," shared another attendee.
The district said the comments shared at these dinners will be taken into consideration as administrators move forward with looking at how cell phones are used in schools.
"We know our stakeholders and our community members — whether they're parents, whether they're grandparents, whether they're business owners — they have the best interest of our students at heart," said Kristen Merrill, director of professional development. "And so it's important to make sure that we hear them and we hear their concerns and the thoughts that they have for our district moving forward."
—
