KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Missouri Governor Mike Kehoe wants to ban all personal electronic devices for students during school hours.

A bill in the Missouri legislature would do just that. It’s a move that would strip the power away from the districts and plant it firmly with the state.

So far Kansas City Public Schools has declined to comment. The Lee’s Summit School District pointed FOX4 to their policy that took effect this semester which bars cell phone use during instructional periods.

This move comes at the same time states around the country have laid the ground work on how to get this done.

“I get personal devices and banning those as a distraction but the day and age that we’re in you know you need access to those things,” Preston Banks, who has a child in Missouri public schools said.

In a Tuesday post on X, Kehoe said in part: “It’s simple—cell phones have no place in Missouri classrooms. To support stronger academic performance and protect the mental health of students statewide, Missouri needs distraction-free classrooms.”

The governor then pushing for the heavily Republican legislature to move forward on Senate Bill 68, but this is far from a Republican issue.

California, passed something that instructs their public schools to develop a plan for smart phone usage by 2026, Florida was the first state way back in 2023, they took action banning phones, tablets and more, including restricting social media platforms on district WIFI.

Arkansas, the latest state passing a bill called “bell to bell no cell act” allowing phones during emergency’s only, something Missouri’s law would also allow.

“You can tell if a student is accessing their devices as a means to play on it, a distraction or if it’s really a concern – there’s no need for them to be playing on their phone,” Banks said.

Now the bill has passed the committee and has been perfected. It now will head to the floor of the senate for a vote and could be signed by the governor in a matter of weeks.