With less than a quarter left in the 2025-26 school, Manhattan High School administration is busy preparing for next school year’s new personal device ban, hiring staff and emphasizing student safety during Senior Assassin.
Kansas approves bill to prohibit personal devices on bell-to-bell basis.
Senate bill 302 was signed into law while USD 383 students were on spring break. The bill prohibits all student access to personal devices during the school day, requiring that devices be “turned off” and “securely stored” in an “inaccessible” place. Students are authorized to not bring devices to school by leaving devices at home or in a vehicle, even if such vehicle is on school grounds.
“I think the need to get it right, compared to this year, is increased because now it is a state law,” head principal Michael Dorst said.
The new law will come into effect at the start of the 2026-27 school year and is different from this year’s USD 383 personal electronic device policy because it prohibits device-use during lunch (onsite) and passing period.
In the eyes of Dorst, this year’s PEDP policy has helped prepare MHS for next year’s new law.
“A lot of the things that are required in the law, we have built capacity at our school to be able to do,” Dorst said.
State law empowers each school district to make specific decisions on things not specifically outlined in the bill. USD 383 is actively working to establish rules and gain clarity on the language of the bill.
“For instance, ‘do you ban cell phones during activity trips outside of the school day?’,” Dorst said. “We’re waiting for defining some of those parameters, because there’s different districts already that are out with comments about what this is going to do for their district. I’m interested in hearing how the Kansas Association of School Board and others begin to answer some of those questions in some of the gray areas.”
There are a few exceptions to the law. Students may be allowed to possess a device if it is required to implement a student’s Individualized Education Plan, 504 plan or has been approved by a licensed physician as a medical necessity.
The law includes all devices used for voice, text or video communication between two or more parties, including, but not limited to, a mobile or cellular phone, tablet, computer, watch, wireless headphones or earbuds, text messaging device or personal digital assistant that is not owned or issued to students by the school district.
Another part of the bill prohibits school employees from privately or directly communicating with any students via social media platforms and prohibits requiring the use of social media for any assignment or extracurricular activity.
“We know that social media is addictive,” Dorst said. “We know that cell phones are one of the main reasons why anybody, including students, want to use cell phones…Why is anybody surprised that this now is against the law?”
MHS continues hiring season
In a school year full of retirement announcements, a few prominent positions have been filled recently while other positions are still yet to be filled.
Nancy Monical has been promoted to Director of Bands starting next school year, following the retirement of Dr. Joel Gittle.
MHS has also hired Jason Loubvers to fill the grade-level counselor position left by Eric Ross, who will retire after this school year ends.
German teacher Elke Lorenz, the 2025 Kansas World Languages Association Teacher of the Year, as well, photography teacher Darren Allman have both recently announced their retirement after this school year. MHS is still yet to hire either of their successors.
Dorst emphasizes safety during Senior Assassin
Senior Assassin, a non-school affiliated competition, is underway. The competition, which is common in high schools across the country, consists of participating seniors who must squirt an assigned, fellow-competitor with a water gun whilst avoiding being squirted by whoever is assigned to squirt them. The last senior standing wins a pool of cash consisting of entree fees. The game is strictly prohibited from school grounds. Dorst asks seniors to err on the side of caution.
“I don’t want to see somebody get hurt participating in something like that, and you hear horror stories,” Dorst said. “It does not take long. You just have to google ‘senior assassin victims,’ and you see horrible things that have happened to people when they’re going around with things that look like their facsimile of a weapon…I don’t want something to happen to a Manhattan High student.”
Updates on the competition can be found on the non-MHS/USD 383 affiliated seniorassasinmanhattan26 Instagram page.
