this post was submitted on 17 Aug 2026
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234
Kansas Schools Now Collect Phones at the Door – Spends $180K On Smartphone Lockers (www.gadgetreview.com)
submitted 5 days ago by FlashMobOfOne@lemmy.world to c/technology@lemmy.world
209 comments fedilink hide all child comments
 

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.

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[–] RamRabbit@lemmy.world 3 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago) (2 children)

100% behind phone lockers, but, I do agree the price seems too high for this specific implementation. Looks like those hold ~250 phones each and I'm going to guess should cost $500-$1,000 per locker. A school should only be spending $5k-50k on these lockers.

[–] FlashMobOfOne@lemmy.world 4 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago) (1 children)

Right?

$180,000 is absolutely insane. You could literally just get a lockable file cabinet from the 80's or something and put each phone in its own file folder a few hundred.

[–] Pieisawesome@lemmy.dbzer0.com 4 points 4 days ago

It’s for the entire district, and the costs don’t seem that high to me.

14000 slots for students means it’s $12.86 per student over (typically) 20 years…

$0.64 per student per year seems reasonable.

[–] dogslayeggs@lemmy.world 2 points 5 days ago

This isn't for one school, this is for the entire school district. Kansas City SD has 14,000 students across 33 schools. You also have to take into account paying for installation and shipping of 60 of those lockers.