The Kansas State Board of Education is going to discuss the topic of cell phone use in classrooms.

According to the Board, they have asked Dr. Randy Watson, Kansas Education Commissioner, to form a blue ribbon task force charged with creating guidance for addressing the non-academic use of phones in pre-K-12 classrooms in Kansas.

“It’s going to take a concerted effort to address the amount of time our children spend on their own devices during instructional time,” said Melanie Haas, chair of the Kansas State Board of Education. “We as parents and elected officials need to help our children use technology and social media in safer, more beneficial ways.”

Watson said in addition to at least two state school board members, the 30-member task force will be comprised of students, classroom teachers, administrators, and other education representatives. He said he would like a student and a middle or high school principal to serve as co-chairs.

Board members are expected to articulate during their August meeting how broad or narrow the task force’s focus should be when formulating their recommendations.

“Then I would like the task force to present their recommendations to the board by November, no later than December,” Watson said. “In addition to addressing how our children are using their digital devices for non-academic purposes while they’re in the classroom, we also need to take a hard look at the impact social media is having on children’s mental health, especially in light of the U.S. Surgeon General’s recent advisory.”

The Surgeon General’s recently issued advisory calls for “engaging in a multifaceted effort to maximize the benefits and reduce the risk of harm posed by social media with actions suggested for groups including children and adolescents, policymakers, technology companies, researchers, and families.”

The task force recommendations are expected to provide the framework for a state board policy or guidance for school districts to address the non-academic use of cell phones by students during instructional time.

Recommendations are expected to be presented to Kansas State Board of Education by late fall.