All Colorado school districts would be required to adopt a cellphone policy with rules for when and how students can use phones in school under a bipartisan bill set to be introduced in the legislature later this month.
The legislation aims both “to promote a conducive learning environment” and protect students’ mental health, said state Rep. Meghan Lukens, a Steamboat Springs Democrat and prime bill sponsor. The hope is to eliminate, or at very least limit, distractions to student learning caused by cellphones and other devices.
The bill, which would allow districts to make their own decisions about how to address cellphone use during school hours, shows educators’ shared concerns about the toll devices can take on kids’ academics and well-being have captured the attention of lawmakers.
A growing number of Colorado districts have already begun implementing policies restricting cellphone use among students during class hours and, in some cases, banning phones during the entire school day — in line with many districts across the country. While smartphones and other devices have introduced new learning tools in recent years, they have become just as much a source of frustration for teachers and school leaders fighting to keep kids focused on classwork.
“We recognize this is a problem and we want to support school districts in ensuring they have an effective cellphone policy to address the overuse and abuse of cellphones in classrooms,” said Lukens, who has taught social studies for several years. “And I believe that this is such a large problem that it needs to come from all levels. We need to have a multifaceted approach to address this problem.”
Lukens said she has seen firsthand “a rise in student addiction to cellphones” over the past decade, recalling days when confiscating students’ phones felt like “a game of whack-a-mole.”
Her students tended to use Snapchat or play games on their phones while in class.
“Teachers across the state and across the country are doing their best to minimize the technology distractions in the classroom,” she said. “Students and teachers don’t stand a chance when social media is designed to be addictive.”
The exploding popularity of cellphones and social media among youth correlates with rising rates of anxiety and depression, said Dr. Sandra Fritsch, a child and adolescent psychiatrist and medical director of the Pediatric Mental Health Institute with Children’s Hospital Colorado.
Fritsch worries about students’ exposure to cellphones and social media for a range of reasons, including the threat of students being cyberbullied or trafficked online as well as kids coming across inaccurate information or succumbing to a distorted body image by comparing themselves to photos they see.
More screen time can stand in the way of kids learning and getting their work done both in school and at home and can also interfere with a healthy routine, Fritsch said.
“If screen time leads to poor sleep and poor exercise, there’s a risk factor there for anxiety and depression,” she said.
But there is an upside to cellphones and the internet for youth, she added. Kids can make friends online, practice their social skills and find information they might not find elsewhere.
Districts must consider how cellphones and technology can enhance student learning in academic settings when devising policies, Fritsch said.
State Sen. Lisa Frizell, a Castle Rock Republican who is also sponsoring the bill, said it’s critical that individual districts have the authority to craft their own cellphone policies with input from parents, who may want to be able to reach their student during the school day.
Some districts, she noted, might use cellphones in the classroom more than others because they might lack other technology.
“It is so important to me that we maintain local control,” Frizell said. “I was really concerned that the state would be heavyhanded about this and that’s not something that I want to see happen.”
District policies must also accommodate kids with disabilities or health care needs who rely on their cellphones to take care of those needs, such as students with diabetes who monitor their insulin levels on their phones.
It is not yet clear if the legislation being introduced this month will cost the state anything. State Rep. Mary Bradfield, a Colorado Springs Republican, and Sen. Janice Marchman, a Loveland Democrat, are also sponsoring the bill. Both of their careers have included teaching.
One skill learned by restricting cellphones in schools: willpower
At least 19 states have rolled out laws or policies that outlaw or limit student use of cellphones in schools statewide or encourage local districts to ban cellphones in schools or scale back how much students can use them, according to Education Week.
The Colorado Department of Education does not track cellphone policies across the state’s 178 school districts, but the department provides districts resources on the use of cellphones in schools, according to spokesperson Jeremy Meyer.
Stricter rules around cellphones in schools have become more of a staple among Colorado districts, some of which have debuted new policies this school year with different policies for different grade levels.
Littleton Public Schools started implementing a new cellphone policy at the start of the school year, creating a more uniform approach to restricting cellphones in classrooms, according to Superintendent Todd Lambert.
The new policy largely built on guidelines already in place, particularly in elementary and middle school grades, Lambert said. Those students must keep their personal devices in their lockers or backpacks, powered off or in silent mode all day. High schoolers must keep their devices tucked away during classes. They can use them during lunch and free periods. Students in all grades can also wear smart watches throughout the day as long as they are not a distraction, the district’s policy states.
“One of the things they’re recognizing is putting your cellphone away for a little while sometimes can make your work in the classroom a little more focused and easier to handle,” Lambert said, “and you’re always going to be able to go back to that phone.”
Both Littleton Public Schools and high schools in Steamboat Springs consulted students while designing their cellphone policies. Steamboat Springs High School and Yampa Valley High School earlier this month launched a revised policy for cellphone use in schools, tightening guidelines so that students can no longer use their devices in any capacity during class periods. Phones must be turned off and put away, according to Steamboat Springs High School Principal Jay Hamric.
Students are allowed to access their cellphones during lunch and in hallways and in the school’s common area.
But, in hopes of deterring students from staying glued to their phones during lunch and any hours they don’t have class, the school has transformed part of its common area into an indoor recess space. Students can play card games or hold friendly competitions at ping pong tables, foosball tables, air hockey tables and basketball shooting machines.
The makeshift arcade has reinvigorated lunchtime at the high school, where Hamric said students regularly line up eager for their turn.
Rather than impose a schoolwide ban on cellphones, Hamric said it was critical to preserve students’ sense of autonomy in redesigning the school’s cellphone policy.
“They are learning the skills, discipline, the willpower to be able to manage the use of their cellphones for them to be able to know when is the right time, when it’s not the right time, where do I put it, how do I manage it?” he said. “Give them that skillset so that when they graduate from high school, move on from high school, that they have that experience.”