Across the nation, school districts are increasingly banning cellphones in the classroom in an effort to create focused learning environments and reduce distractions in the classroom. The trend reflects concerns about students’ screen time and its impact on academic performance and social interactions.
Durango High School this year joined the national trend, albeit with a slight twist.
Under a new policy at DHS, students must place their cellphones in assigned hanging cellphone caddies before the start of class.
The change was prompted after DHS Principal Jon Hoerl received feedback from several teachers highlighting the growing distraction that cellphones have become in the classroom.
“The biggest issue was how easily students got distracted,” he said. “You know, when they hear a buzz or a ding, their attention is immediately pulled away from what they’re doing. Not having the phone on them removes the temptation to check it simultaneously.”
Durango School District 9-R’s Board of Education discussed the pros and cons of a cellphone ban during a work session in March. But because it is an operational issue, the board deferred to Superintendent Karen Cheser to write a new district policy.
Ultimately, the district decided against banning cellphones on campuses. Cheser and Hoerl said they have heard positive feedback about the new policy.
Hoerl said the high school’s new cellphone policy is a happy medium compromise and that banning cellphones completely wasn’t the approach the DHS administration and staff members wanted to take.
“It’s the world that we live in,” he said. “And learning how to interact responsibly with your phone – I think it’s still an important factor, and it still is a big part of who kids are.”
But based what he has been hearing from teachers, students are now having actual conversations with their peers at the end of class rather than being glued to their phone screens.
Before class, students simply place the phone inside the caddie pocket and are able to pick it up at the end of the period.
“I think the social interaction part was a big piece for us,” Hoerl said. “We were looking for more ways to create opportunities for kids to engage with each other.”
School district cellphone bans have become a trend in education recently.
More school districts in Colorado have been moving toward cellphone bans to get their students off their screens and focused on academics. Last year, Florida took it a step further by banning cellphone use in public schools altogether.
A Pew Research survey conducted in March found that 38% of teens believe they spend too much time on their smartphones. The survey also revealed that teen girls are more likely than boys to feel that way, with 44% of girls reporting excessive phone use compared to 33% of boys.
In July, Montezuma-Cortez High School elected to disallow cellphone use on its campuses because of concerns about students’ mental health.
Montezuma-Cortez High School Principal Jennifer Boniface told The Journal in July that students had been struggling with test scores and that it had been a constant distraction in the classroom.
The new policy prohibits cellphones from being out of students’ backpacks in classrooms, bathrooms and hallways. Students may access their phones at lunchtime.
Aspen School District also implemented a cellphone ban for the 2024-25 school year.
According to The Aspen Times, the decision, which applies to elementary, middle and high schools, was motivated by a desire to improve focus during learning, enhance social interactions, and promote the mental health and well-being of students.
“Research has shown that excessive cellphone use can contribute to anxiety, depression, and other mental health issues among young people,” Aspen School District Superintendent Tharyn Mulberry said in a letter to parents. “By limiting access to smartphones during the school day, we hope to reduce these negative effects and promote a healthier, more balanced lifestyle for our students.”
But Mountain Middle School, a charter school located in north Durango, was at the forefront when it implemented its cellphone ban 12 years ago. Under the school’s policy, cellphones must be turned off and put in backpacks as soon as students enter the school.
Mountain Middle School Executive Director Shane Voss said it not only helps with learning retention but also the social issues that cellphones create.
Most of the bullying today is done online, he said.
That was actually the original reason why Mountain instituted the policy.
“When you can eliminate a lot of distractions, that allows students to focus, and is a key element in optimizing learning,” Voss said.
Mountain Middle School was featured in a PBS World News special on the topic and was a primary focus in Jonathan Haidt’s book, “The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness.”
Mountain has achieved success with the policy. In 2023, the school’s fourth and fifth graders earned the state’s top ranking for public elementary schools in Colorado for academic growth and the state’s top ranking for academic achievement in both math and reading.
A common argument against cellphone policies or bans is that students are not able to get ahold of their parents in case of emergency. But in the case of Mountain Middle School and Durango School District 9-R, parents have been supportive of decreasing their kids’ screen time.
“Our parents have been extremely supportive, and they know that they can get a live voice on the phone when they call our front office and get a hold of their students at any time during the day,” Voss said.
Hoerl said parents have been thankful that the high school is trying address it in a proactive way.
tbrown@durangoherald.com
