Graham’s Grumblings - Jan. 16, 2026
By Timothy R. Graham
KNEA Director of Government Relations
This is my 26th session working full time within the legislative process. At this point, I’m no longer impressed by fancy speeches. I’ve never been impressed by social media warriors. I’m growing impatient with foolishness in politics, and I can spot a BSer from a mile away.
That’s why the first week of this session was … a lot.
The pending bipartisan bill to ban cell phones during instructional time has a lot of people acting silly. I’ve had dozens of conversations about this bill, and my biggest takeaway is simple: opinions are abundant; knowledge of what’s in the bill — not so much.
There’s a lot of misinformation floating around. Some of it is probably unintentional. Some of it is not. That is the nature of the beast. People are rushing to take sides, retreating to their corners, tweaking their arguments, and preparing for their viral moment. After all these years, it’s pretty darn easy for me to recognize what’s going on.
Educators are being used as props once again in a hot political battle, and neither side bothered to pick up the phone and call the association that represents more than 20,000 Kansas educators before forming their opinions.
Well, actually, one legislator reached out on this issue. They know who they are — and we appreciate you.
Nevertheless, I’m anticipating some truly entertaining political theater. You’ll hear supporters shout from the mountaintops that they’re doing this “for the kids,” while others will insist they’re doing it “for the teachers.” Many of these legislators are sincere.
On the other side, you’ll hear principled arguments rooted in local control — arguments born out of a very real fear of a Legislature that has increasingly overstepped its authority. I know that to be true for many of them as well.
We understand those positions very well. We only wish they understood how exhausting these political battles are for educators as they try to make sense of everything that happens in this building.
Let me be clear about where we are. KNEA is neutral on this bill. That doesn’t mean we’re disengaged, and it certainly doesn’t mean we’re indifferent. We’ve raised real concerns in our testimony — concerns grounded in classroom reality, implementation, enforcement, and the unintended consequences that so often get glossed over in the rush to legislate.
As this bill moves through the Legislature, I’ve come to appreciate the many legislators who have taken the time to explain to me how educators ought to feel about it. I’m sure educators appreciate that just as much.
On one side, we’re told that a one-size-fits-all approach is in the best interest of educators. On the other, we’re told killing the bill outright is what’s best for educators.
Here’s the part worth paying attention to: If this bill truly has the votes everyone claims it does, and either side has an opportunity to make it better for educators but chooses not to — in the name of political theater — our members will notice.
Timothy R. Graham can be reached by email at timothy.graham@knea.org.