The Boulder Valley School District board approved a universal cell phone ban with a 6–1 vote on Nov. 19, restricting the use of phones, headphones and watches on campuses from bell to bell. Board member Alex Medler described the policy, which is expected to go into effect in January, as “the end of the distraction era.”
Initially, implementation will be left to individual schools. Whether students will be required to drop off their phones at the start of the day, store them in classroom lockers, or simply keep them out of reach remains undecided.
With this policy, BVSD joins a growing number of districts nationwide banning cell phone use to address distracted students and reduce social media use, which has been linked to mental health issues among young people. Currently, BVSD’s elementary and middle schools are no-phone zones, while high schools allow phone use outside of class. The new policy creates consistency across all grade levels.
Some parents have voiced concerns about being unable to contact their children during emergencies. While the stress of wanting to know their child is safe can be overwhelming, emergency responders say phone access isn’t always productive. From their perspective, communication can be a mixed bag.
“During major critical events, we find that our dispatch center gets overwhelmed with a large number of phone calls. And not everybody has good first-hand information,” Boulder Police Department Deputy Chief Barry Hartkopp told Boulder Reporting Lab.
Hartkopft explained that while accurate first-hand information is useful, responders often have to sift through less helpful second- and third-hand accounts. He said he is neutral on the BVSD policy and supports whatever approach meets the needs of students.
The new policy addresses emergencies by stipulating that phones should be accessible to students only after an “all-clear” has been given. This provision aims to help students focus on what they should be doing or where they should be going during an emergency, rather than using their phones.
BVSD has several methods to reach parents during emergencies, including SchoolMessenger, an opt-in service for emergency and non-emergency text messages.
The district’s safety planning webpage advises parents against rushing to schools during emergencies, stating: “The natural instinct for parents or guardians is to come to the school during an emergency to protect their children. However, by doing so, they may endanger themselves and their children. Law enforcement and school personnel are busy responding to the situation. Your arrival or calls may distract them from their work.”
In an emotional dissent during the Nov. 19 meeting, BVSD board president Nicole Rajpal expressed concerns about the ban. She argued that the board approached the issue with a pre-determined solution rather than with curiosity, which made it difficult to engage with the data collected from parent, student and teacher surveys conducted in October.
Rajpal, who had voiced reservations throughout discussions, cited the complexity of the issue and argued that the board is moving too quickly. She claimed the most successful implementations of phone bans have been at schools without off periods or open campuses, which allow students to come and go as they please. One student speaker at the meeting alluded to this, saying a strict ban could incentivize students to leave campus to use their phones.
Echoing public comments, Rajpal argued that a strict policy does not respect students’ ability to follow rules.
“They can be responsible, and we should lead with that,” she said.
Other board members countered, arguing that phone-related distractions have persisted for too long, and data from other districts show positive results.
Board member Jorge Chávez raised concerns about ensuring the policy doesn’t disproportionately affect certain students but felt reassured that adjustments can be made based on feedback from schools after implementation.
Overall, the board expressed confidence in the decision.
“Maybe this is like the smoking section in the airplane,” said board member Jason Unger. “Not to be dramatic, but I hope that this kind of decision is something we’ll look back at like, ‘How did we allow unlimited use of phones in schools?’ And it’s not unlimited, but I think it’s one of those cultural shifts like the smoking section of an airplane, and we’ll look back and wonder, you know, why was it like that?”
During public comment at the board meeting, some students and parents from Centaurus High School lobbied against the strict ban, citing potential issues such as creating unnecessary tension between students and faculty.
“I completely agree that it is a big problem and a big distraction,” said Wyatt, a senior at Centaurus.
After suggesting the ban could increase tensions with faculty and encourage students to leave campus to use their phones, Wyatt offered a solution. He said his best experience with enforcement of the existing policy was with a teacher who had a phone tree on the wall, where students were expected to place their devices upon entering class.
“That will create better relations inside the classroom while also not creating those antagonistic and hostile tensions with the teachers,” Wyatt said. “Just because, unfortunately, a lot of us are very protective of them [phones], and I think that that could lead to some uncomfortable conversations.”
The board plans to monitor how the policy plays out across the district and make updates as needed to clarify enforcement or address other issues that arise.
Correction: An earlier version of this story misspelled the name of Boulder’s deputy police chief. The correct spelling is Deputy Chief Barry Hartkopp.
