Excelsior Springs students will begin the school year under new handbooks, tighter limits on cell phone use and an additional police officer assigned to school buildings, as the Board of Education approved a series of measures at a recent meeting.The most sweeping changes centered on student handbooks. The updates were necessary to comply with Missouri’s Senate Bill 68, which requires schools to restrict student use of personal communication devices during the school day. District administrators said the new language clarifies expectations for students while ensuring schools are consistent with state law.For the elementary grades, officials said the day-to-day impact will be minimal, since most younger students do not carry phones to class. At the middle school level, the changes formalize a policy already in place.“This is the exact same policy that we’ve had all last year,” said Middle School Principal Dr. Brett Coffman.High Sch...