Board of Education updates cell phone policy, restricts devices bell-to-bell in high school

En Español

On Tuesday, November 19, the Boulder Valley School District Board of Education voted 6-1 to update the district’s cell phone policy. Starting in January, high school students will no longer be able to utilize their phones during school hours on campus, including during passing periods and lunch.

WATCH: November 19 Board of Education Meeting

The Change
Created in April 2019, BVSD’s cell phone policy was one of the first in Colorado and was already one of the strictest. Following November’s vote, JRCT - Student Use of Cell Phones and Other Personal Technology Devices, has been updated, requiring students to put away cell phones or other personal technology devices (PTDs) during the school day (bell-to-bell).

Before Elementary school: during school hours Middle school: during school hours High school: during class periods

Now Elementary school: during school hours Middle school: during school hours High school: during school hours

The reason behind the change
Concerns about students’ mental health and concerns from BVSD educators have prompted the Boulder Valley School District’s Board of Education to look at strengthening the district’s cell phone policy.

Over the summer, Board members heard from parents and educators, encouraging them to consider banning cell phones in school, following a warning from the U.S. Surgeon General regarding the dangers of social media and the release of The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt. The book uses research to correlate the ubiquity of cell phones amongst teenagers and the increase of mental health issues impacting the age group. It also advocated for schools to ban cellphones. A number of school districts across the nation followed Haidt’s suggestion, including Los Angeles Unified School District.

Next Steps
Naturally, many students and parents are interested in the specifics on how the policy will be implemented in our schools.

Between now and January, district and school leaders will be working to determine the best path forward. 

High school families should look for updates from the district and their high school in the coming weeks regarding what to expect when they return to classes following Winter Break.

They are anticipating that this will be an iterative process with practices changing overtime to address unintended consequences and feedback.

An update on the implementation of the updated policy has been scheduled for March 2025.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES: Distraction-Free BVSD Website