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Board highlights classroom phone policy after staff report on Yonder program; lawmakers advancing statewide rules
Summary
Board members heard staff survey results on the district's Yonder phone-management program and discussed recent testimony at the Capitol. Board delegates noted S.B. 68 — a state bill proposing required school policies restricting student personal device use — has passed the Missouri Senate and is now in the House.
The Cape Girardeau Board of Education heard staff survey results March 24 showing strong teacher support for the district’s phone-management program, and board members and administrators told the meeting they have advocated at the state Capitol for legislation that would require restrictions on student device use.
Why it matters: District officials said the program reduced classroom distractions, eased enforcement burdens on teachers and contributed to fewer recordable incidents at the high school. Board members said state-level action — S.B. 68 — would codify similar restrictions across Missouri.
Dr. Beck presented staff survey results evaluating the Yonder program at the junior high and high school. He said the majority of certified teachers who responded rated the program positively, with an average “agree” or “strongly agree” response on impact questions at roughly 90% or higher, and that about 40–45% of the certified staff in those buildings completed the survey. “The majority of every question asked about the impact of Yonder scored at about 90% or above on average,” Beck said.
Administrators told the board that after Yonder’s implementation the district saw reductions in freshman retention and a drop in fights at the high school, and that incidents which previously generated social-media recordings have become less frequent because students no longer record events on personal devices.
In the legislative report, board members said S.B. 68 — language described at the meeting as requiring districts to implement policies restricting use of personal electronic devices during school hours, banning device use across the school day and specifying disciplinary measures with limited exemptions — has passed the Missouri Senate and is now pending in the House. Board members also noted H.B. 711, an open-enrollment bill, has passed the House and awaits Senate committee assignment.
Board members and administrators encouraged community members and parents to contact state legislators. Superintendent Dr. Binion and board delegates said they had met with state lawmakers during an advocacy day in Jefferson City, and the board urged constituents to raise concerns or support for the bills with their representatives.
Next steps: District officials said they will continue to monitor legislative developments and report back; administrators offered to provide full, anonymous survey responses to the board on request.
