House Bill 208 was signed into law on March 26th and requires all local school boards to adopt a policy that prohibits student use of cellphones during the school day. This bill goes against section 2 of the Kentucky Constitution and restricts student’s First Amendment rights.
This bill also requires all students who violate the policy to be punished by board policy. These punishments most often include the school taking a student’s phone for an extended period of time.
Section 2 of the Kentucky Constitution states “Absolute and arbitrary power over the lives, liberty and property of freemen exists nowhere in a republic, not even in the largest majority.” This bill violates section 2 of the Kentucky Constitution because this section states that the government does not have full power over anyone’s life, liberty, and property.
These phone bills and the required punishments that almost always involve the confiscation of student’s property which directly violates the Kentucky Constitution. Student’s cellphones are property and should not be taken away by the government.
House Bill 208 states “[Includes] social media in prohibited material to be made inaccessible through school technology and provide the scope of social media to be prohibited.”
The first amendment gives everyone free speech which includes social media. If the government prohibits all use of social media in schools it restricts student’s free speech
All students have rights that should never be violated for any reason. It does not matter if they are 8 years old or 18 years old. Bills like House Bill 208 restrict student’s rights and should not be passed.
