Did Boulder high schools' cell phone ban work?
share
LAFAYETTE, Colo. — Since Centaurus High School banned cell phones in January, principal Carlyn Carroll said she can hear the difference.
At lunchtime on May 6, Jenga blocks crashed to the ground, pucks whistled across air hockey tables and chatter rebounded off the walls of one of the school’s activity rooms.
“It used to be really quiet. Kids would be on their phones. They’d be sitting at a table, and every single one of them would have a screen up,” said Carroll.
The Boulder Valley School District board of education voted in November 2024 to ban cell phones during school hours at district high schools. Cell phones have been banned at elementary and middle schools since 2019.
According to a report from Chalkbeat in August 2024, roughly one third of Colorado’s 20 largest school districts have tightened their cell phone policy in the last two years. Nationwide, at least 23 states require schools to restrict or ban student phone use.
School districts have poured millions of dollars into products to combat phone usage, like lockable sleeves made by California-startup, Yondr. Students place phones into pouches at the start of the day where they remain locked during school hours. At the end of the day, students tap their device at a “unlocking base,” which opens the pouch using a large magnet.
Governor Jared Polis signed House Bill 25-1135 May 1, requiring Colorado schools “to adopt and implement a policy concerning student communication device possession and use during the school day.”
Lawmakers cited research showing the potential for cell phones to distract students, lead to increased cyberbullying and worse academic and mental health outcomes.
Research suggests that banning phones can improve academic outcomes, particularly for the lowest-achieving students.
When Sheryl Thorne first started teaching at Centaurus nine years ago, she knew she had to pick her battles. Stopping students from using their phones wasn't a hill she was willing to die on. But over time, Thorne watched as students’ phone use grew out of control.
“As soon as we were done with the lecture or discussion, kids immediately — immediately — went and got their phones out,” said Thorne, who teaches culinary classes, practical arts and social studies.
The board left it up to schools to decide what the policy would look like.
Thorne was “very skeptical” that implementing such a big change in the middle of the year would be successful.
Carroll decided the best way to get students on board would be to involve them in the decision-making process.
She brought candy bribes to the cafeteria and asked students what they needed and wanted to make the transition successful.
“Really quickly, we saw, ‘I want ping pong, I want air hockey, I want open gyms, I want to be able to go outside’… And then it was, ‘I don’t know how to talk to people. I don’t know how to make friends. What are you going to do to help me meet people?,’” said Carroll.
Carroll shared her findings with other district principals. The superintendent gave her a budget and she set out to create new ways for students to fill their free time.
Sophomore Macy Larson said that without her phone, “I didn’t really know what to do.”
She started playing basketball during lunch, then ping pong.
Larson found herself playing ping pong with students from her classes who she’d never talked to.
“I’ve gotten to know a lot more people in my grade,” said Charlie Taylor, a sophomore. “What parents and adults don’t understand is that we kind of know that we’re addicted to our phones. I feel like we’re more aware than people give us credit for.”
For the first 30 days of the semester, teachers and administrators issued warnings when they caught students on their phones. Thirty days later, they began taking phones.
If a student is caught using their phone between 8:30 a.m. to 3:50 p.m., the phone is sent to the office and locked in a cubby until the end of the day. Students are still able to bring the devices with them, as long as they’re tucked away between bells.
Taylor thinks that the rule is leading more students to use their phones in the bathroom or hide them behind Chromebooks in class.
“I have only had to take three phones since January,” said Thorne. “It really went a lot smoother than I thought it was going to.”
Thorne said that the rule has made her more cognizant of her own relationship with her device.
“It's made me realize that I don't have to be in touch with my kid every day, every class period, all day long,” she said.
Parents are still able to communicate with their children via Google Chat through the student’s Chromebook, or by calling the office.
“I have half the discipline issues and bullying,” said Carroll, who thinks that phones are at the center of other disciplinary issues from vaping to fighting.
“This could have gone a lot of different ways,” said Carroll. “The key to success is remembering the human component and the ability for people to step up and really be amazing if you give them the space to do so.”
Type of story: News
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
To read more about why you can trust the journalism of Rocky Mountain PBS, please visit our editorial standards and practices page.