There are a lot of things schools themselves have done that end up essentially requiring it. Here's a short list from my kids' district: * Use an LMS called I

There are a lot of things schools themselves have done that end up essentially requiring it. Here's a short list from my kids' district: * Use an LMS called Infinite Canvas. Among other things, the kids have to submit homework online -- which can be done on the web app -- which often requires them to take a photo of handwritten work to upload. Have you ever tried taking a photo of a piece of paper using a $200 Chromebook? * Use Teamsnap for sports team management: scheduling, roster management, messaging, etc. * Use Instagram for school-official communications, including things like social events, counseling services, college visits, and sports team news. ... There are more, but the point is that phone apps make certain things easy and schools are taking advantage of that fact, even if they're simultaneously banning them during school hours.