Editor's note: A longer version of this story will appear in the Thursday, June 11, Great Bend Tribune.

When Great Bend High School students start each day this fall, their cell phones will be turned off and, along with smart watches and ear buds, they will be placed in a lockable pouch that can only be unlocked with a powerful magnet.

GBHS Principal Brock Funke described that plan at Monday’s Great Bend USD 428 Board of Education meeting. The Kansas Legislature passed a law that prohibits students from having access to personal electronic communication devices. Following the law will require a new policy. Monday’s presentation was a first reading; the final version of the policy will be approved in July.

The district plans to buy Yondr-brand bags and the magnets that unlock them. The magnets fit into bases that can be placed at entrances.

GBHS staff have discussed the plan for months, Funke said. “I don’t want this to be a burden for our teachers,” he said. “We want to make it as simple and straightforward as possible.”

The district will buy 300 pouches and students will be responsible for them – including the $30 replacement cost if they intentionally damage one.

Students can also check in and out at the office. The policy covers exceptions, such as students who need access to their phones for medical reasons. And board members weighed in on when students should have access to phones on bus trips to activities. Coaches will have some discretion there.