I'm Renee Shaw.

Thank you for kicking off your weekend with us.

>> Some Kentucky schools are getting rid of the distraction of cell phones in class.

Today, state lawmakers said they will once again consider a statewide policy.

Our June Leffler has more in tonight's Education Matters.

Report.

>> Last month, KET, he visited some high schools that successfully took cell phones out of the classroom student stash their phones away in a designated box or pouch keeping phones, not just out of sight, but out of reach.

One principal tell state lawmakers the policy is a local success.

>> We've already seen it help our discipline.

We've already seen a help.

Our social emotional well-being in our school.

The other child out of that triangle is iconic success.

I can't wait to get to that on that.

>> He says the cell phone ban would make a great statewide rule.

>> The reason we went to it as a school-wide is because we wanted to give teachers the authority to say, hey, this is what my boss is telling me to do.

I'm taking the heat.

So I think that can be alleviated at the state level.

If you guys take the heat because now it's principal said this.

My school district said this.

This is the state.

All this is a state regulation that we all need to follow.

>> The former educator in the General Assembly Love Side E a.

>> Why not do something?

Why not do something and want to do something now?

39% of the state budget goes to K 12 education.

39% of our state budget ghost of K 12 education.

If we could do one thing to help our education system.

To me, this would be the one thing that we could do.

It would help teachers.

It would help students.

It would help our whole society.

So I would hope that we will take a serious look at taking the heat off of you all making this a a law and then letting you have a look back at the grout grassroots level.

You know, we have a really good surplus right now on a rainy day fund.

If we needed to throw in a little money for phone pouches or phone lockers.

So if that's the problem, then I would be willing to do that.

>> Schools and districts can remove cell phones on their own.

Another former teacher says leave the rules to them.

I have been in discussion with one of my principles with in my district, went right outside the district and they implemented the bags for a period of time.

>> High school, it is a high Spotify said that there were some definite benefits.

But she ended up pulling him out and what she her approach was, we want to teach our high schoolers to be able to regulate this themselves.

They're about to go out into the real world and it's not going away.

We need to be able to equip them to regulate it appropriately.

I don't think again, it's cookie cutter and I think we need to be very careful about how far down we regulate.

I think we do need to listen to the administrators and and see what's working for their students.

>> The House Education Committee approved a proposed statewide cell phone ban this year.

It didn't become law, but a House member says a similar bill will come back next year for Kentucky edition.

I'm Jim Leffler.

>> Thank you.

June.

And the Kentucky General Assembly convenes on January 7th of