New bills cause changes at BGHS

Three bills were signed into action by Kentucky governor Andy Beshear that have caused changes to the operations at BGHS.

House Bill 208

House Bill 208 was signed by Beshear in March 2025, and was implemented in our district at the start of this school year. While the bill only prohibits the use of cellphones in classrooms, some schools across the state are enforcing much stricter phone policies in their district. Schools like Glasgow High School are prohibiting students from having cellphones on their person while in the school, while Bowling Green High School maintains the same cellphone policy they had in previous years. In the student handbook, it is outlined that phones are prohibited from being used during instructional time, with exceptions for emergencies and teacher-directed use. While our cellphone policy remains the same, many school districts across the state are tightening their policies. From teachers to students to administrators, many have different opinions concerning the effectiveness and safety of this bill. 

Our Dean of Students, Mr. Ries, is largely in support of House Bill 208.

“I believe that cell phones are a major distraction in the classroom and that it is imperative to the successful operation of a school to have some policies to restrict cell phones in the classroom,” Ries said. He believes the policy at Bowling Green High School is “the perfect blend of allowing cell phones in school but limiting the distraction they can cause in the classroom.”

Mr. Ries thinks that students, especially those in high school, should have the ability to be in control of their cell phone use when considering joining a workforce where phone usage is limited during certain hours of the day. This self-control is an important skill students should learn for their future, considering the evolution of technology will continue to invade the focus of workers and students alike. 

Many BGHS students feel that phones are distracting during instructional time, but some don’t have the self-control to stay off them when the phone policy is not strict.

Norman White, a junior at BGHS, likes the bill because “students are able to focus more in class, and teachers are also able to enforce the policy better.” White said he’s noticed a trend in both teachers and students using phones during class time, but that the bill has made this less of an issue. 

One student at Glasgow High School, Meredith Evans, holds a strong stance against her school’s phone policy, which states that students can be punished if they have a phone, tablet, or smartwatch on them at any time during the school day. “We had 3 shooting threats made at our school last year. One of them was only discovered because a student showed his teacher a threat his friend had made through a Snapchat story. It’s terrifying to think that someone could be planning to hurt people at our school and no one would know because we don’t have our phones,” she said.

Many students are scared of the safety concerns associated with not being able to have cell phones anywhere in the school, such as the lack of ability to contact loved ones in case of an emergency.

Duncan Pattee, a freshman at BGHS, is strongly against restrictive phone bills as he manages his diabetes using a glucose monitor linked to his phone. He checks his phone “up to 10 times a day” to ensure his blood sugar levels are safe. He finds himself scared about the evolution of restrictive phone policies, as having his phone on him 24/7 is an important part of managing his condition. The student body is a bit split over the bill, as many are simply annoyed at the policy but cannot find concrete evidence why our school’s policy is not beneficial to their education. 

From allowing students to be more present in their classes to socializing more in hallways and at lunch, many teachers, administrators, and even students agree that the bill is positively changing their classrooms and the school as a whole. While safety concerns are present in schools with stricter rules around phones, for now, our policy continues to let students keep their phones available in case of emergencies. Depending on the evolution of technology in the next decade, the state or our school board may choose to implement a stricter policy pertaining to technology and phones during school time. 

House Bill 181

One of the most significant shifts in the everyday lives of students is the ban on communication with teachers, coaches, and administrators without going through the BGISD app or email.

BGHS Cheerleader, Ruth Miliken, explains the inefficiency within her and her coaches’ communication, “Cheer is a sport that requires time watching stunts and videos recorded by coaches at practice. The BGISD app does not allow pictures or videos to go through, so things that need to be sent to us come through a cycle of coach, parent, then the student. This is just really frustrating and hard to manage.”

Coach Widener, the BGHS Boys Soccer coach, also faces many issues with this bill. “I understand the intent of what they are trying to do. It is a bit over the top, and people that are going to break the law are going to break the law no matter what. It makes it harder for the people trying to actually help kids. I usually have a group chat with all my seniors for the fun of it and to be inspirational, the law takes away that experience.”

Coach Widener also explains the hardships of the law being enforced 3 days before the dead period. “The timing this took place was also horrendous because they initiated this in the summer when contact between players and coaches is needed the most. I usually message kids about coming out to play for us, helping get them rides to practices, and if this law was enforced September 1st it would have been easier to ease into the app.”

All of these issues differentiate the day to day contact amongst coaches and players. Coach Lowe, BGHS Football Coach,  expressed the difficulty trying to contact a team with over 100 players.

“I don’t like the new law. It makes it hard to communicate with our student athletes. We have over 100 football players on our team and it makes it so much harder to communicate with them,” Lowe said. 

House Bill 19

A new House Bill requiring all Kentucky schools to hold a one to two minute moment of silence has been implemented into KY school systems. This time is for students to pray, reflect, or meditate. Being disruptive during the required moment of silence is punishable.

BGHS enforces this by giving students write-ups if they disturb the moment of silence. During this time, students are expected to be still, quiet, and calm. This time is geared for everyone to focus on themself or their own beliefs.

Some students feel that it is useful and will use this time to pray. Many students who use this time understand that it isn’t convenient to everyone, but it can be useful to some. Other students say they don’t find this time useful and we could use the time for other things.

“Taking a few deep breaths and taking a moment to center oneself is good for us. Even if I have a stack of papers to work on that day, it’s nice to take a moment to find peace,” Mr Russell, BGHS’ College & Career Coach, said.

BGHS student Ray Bufford explains that this proves that we could be more productive towards other things. “I look out the window and wait for it to be over. I feel like rather than being concerned about being quiet for a moment, we could worry about gun laws and making schools a little safer.”

Students and staff alike all feel differently about the bill, but it will continue to be implemented throughout the school year.