A Denver Public Schools advisory committee has thrown its weight behind a sweeping "bell-to-bell" cellphone crackdown that could keep personal devices out of reach from first bell to last. The recommendation would apply to smartphones, smart watches and non-district earbuds, and would keep personal gadgets inaccessible from the moment students arrive on campus until the final bell rings. There are carve-outs for medical needs and individualized-education accommodations, and the recommendation now heads to the school board for drafting and formal consideration. That sets the stage for weeks of public comment and a likely board decision this spring.
State Law Sparked The Review
The committee came together after state lawmakers passed a measure that requires every Colorado school district to adopt and post a policy on student communication devices by July 1, according to House Bill 25-1135. The statute tells districts to spell out any prohibitions and exceptions, and to weigh training, grade-level differences and the practical headaches that might come with enforcing new rules.
What The Committee Actually Recommended
The 17-member Communication Devices Advisory Committee voted for a blanket restriction on smartphones, smart watches, earbuds and other non-district technology during the entire school day, with devices kept inaccessible while students are on campus, according to a recommendation presentation from DPS. The materials also call for explicit exceptions for IEPs, 504 plans and medical needs, training for families on how the district handles emergency notifications, and updated student discipline guidance tied to violations of the new rules.
Voices At The Board Meeting
Public comment at Wednesday's board meeting showed just how divisive the idea can be. Abraham Lincoln High School principal Néstor Bravo, who served on the committee, backed a strict, across-the-board rule, arguing that letting students pull out phones at lunch or during bathroom breaks often turns into "a quick hit of Instagram" that can spiral into distraction. Parent and former DPS employee Sarah Almy Moore said inconsistent enforcement from teacher to teacher helped push the group toward districtwide consistency.
Others flagged the real-life complications that come with a hard line. Teacher Katie Sams noted that older students sometimes rely on phones to manage work shifts, child care responsibilities or parole-related obligations. On the flip side, parent Jamie Chesser argued that taking phones out of the equation would help students develop stronger in-person relationships. Those contrasting perspectives were highlighted in coverage from Chalkbeat/Westword. Board members Marlene De La Rosa and Kimberlee Sia will lead the drafting of a formal policy, and the board is scheduled to take a final vote on June 11, according to committee materials and meeting notes.
Next Steps: Survey, Public Comment And The Calendar
The committee packet lays out a tight timeline. DPS plans to release a districtwide survey to families, students and community members on May 1, with the survey open for two weeks. De La Rosa and Sia are expected to present a draft policy to the board on May 7, and the proposal could receive its first read on May 20 and final adoption on June 11, according to a recommendation presentation from DPS. Public comment will be a standing item at board work sessions in May and June, giving families and staff multiple chances to weigh in before any final vote.
What The Law Allows, And What It Limits
House Bill 25-1135 requires districts to adopt and post a communication device policy by July 1, but it does not mandate a bell-to-bell ban. Instead, the law lists minimum topics each policy must address and explicitly protects students who need devices for ADA or IEP accommodations, according to House Bill 25-1135. The statute also encourages districts to think through training, emergency protocols, and grade-level differences as they craft their local rules.
Local Context
Denver Public Schools is the state's largest district, serving roughly 89,000 students, and the Communication Devices Advisory Committee's recommendation would put Denver in line with several Colorado peers that have already tightened device rules in recent years. Boulder Valley and other districts, for example, have moved toward stricter, bell-to-bell-style approaches as educators wrestle with distraction, equity concerns, and uneven enforcement, as covered by local reporting.
The DPS packet notes community feedback from nearly 700 responses, with roughly 57 percent coming from parents and guardians and about half from staff, and shows a mix of support for both a single districtwide policy and rules that vary by grade level. With a survey set for early May and public comment scheduled into June, the school board now has a relatively short window to decide whether to turn the committee's recommendation into binding district policy. Families, students, and staff will be watching the May work sessions and the board calendar to see whether bell-to-bell phone use becomes a thing of the past in Denver schools.
