The school board unanimously passed a new bell-to-bell ban for students on Monday.
An assistant principal at Girls Athletic Leadership School, a Denver charter school where cellphones were already prohibited, takes a phone from a student in September 2025.
This fall, all Denver students will have to turn off or turn in their phones at school. An assistant principal at Girls Athletic Leadership School, a Denver charter school where cellphones were already prohibited, takes a phone from a student in September 2025. This fall, all Denver students will have to turn off or turn in their phones at school.
Denver students won’t be allowed to use cellphones, smartwatches, or other personal devices during the school day when they return to class this fall. requires each Colorado school district to adopt a policy on student cellphone use by July 1, but doesn’t require a ban. However, many districts nationwide have decided to limit cellphone use in an attempt to minimize distractions in class and improve students’ mental health.
Cellphones, smartwatches, wireless earbuds and earphones, personally owned tablets and laptops, and any other devices not issued by the district must be out of sight and turned off during the school day while students are in school buildings. Exceptions should be made for students who need devices for physical or mental health reasons or as part of a special education plan or disability accommodation. Exceptions should also be made for multilingual students who need devices for language access.
The policy is officially known as Executive Limitation 23. Executive limitations are rules for the superintendent. This policy says the superintendent should ensure the implementation of the policy is “consistent, transparent, simple, accountable, and equitably enforced. ” It also says the superintendent should ensure the ban doesn’t prevent or impede the delivery of emergency notifications.
While a majority of parents who took The policy also requires the superintendent to conduct an annual review of the policy’s effectiveness and outcomes. Denver Public Schools Superintendent Alex Marrero said on Monday that the first review would likely be released in October 2027. No paywall. Always accessible.
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