Colorado State Board of Education discusses student cell phone use and policies

News Release 

During its May meeting, the Colorado State Board of Education heard a presentation on student cellphone use and how stricter cellphone policies across Colorado are linked to higher educator satisfaction, more consistent enforcement, and fewer classroom distractions.

The presentation from psychologist and researcher Dr. Angela Duckworth, who leads the national “Phones in Focus” study, explored research on student cellphone use, self-control, and school phone policies. Duckworth discussed the tension many educators and families see between long-term academic goals and the immediate pull of social media and phone use. “One is about a long-term future, and the other is about instant gratification,” she said.

Colorado ranks eighth nationally in participation in the Phones in Focus study, with 3,545 educators from 46% of Colorado schools responding to the survey. Preliminary findings show that Colorado schools use a wide range of approaches to manage student cellphone use, including bell-to-bell restrictions, classroom collection systems, centralized storage, locking pouches, and schoolwide bans.

The presentation also highlighted the upcoming implementation of House Bill 25-1135, which requires all school districts and charter schools to adopt and publicly post student communication device policies by July 1, 2026. CDE has developed a resource hub to support schools and districts with sample policies, implementation guidance, research, and best practices as they develop local approaches.

State board passes rules around postsecondary and workforce readiness funding

In a rulemaking hearing on Thursday, the state board unanimously approved rules for the Administration of Postsecondary and Workforce Readiness Sustain Funding (1 CCR 301-117), created through Senate Bill 25-315. The rules establish how Colorado school districts and charter schools will receive outcomes-based funding beginning in the 2026-27 school year for students who earn postsecondary credits, industry-recognized credentials, and work-based learning experiences — known as the “Big Three.” The approved rules also clarify eligibility for programs such as P-TECH, establish funding limits for local education providers, outline how funding flows to charter schools, and create a new monitoring framework for oversight. The rules were revised following extensive statewide stakeholder feedback and two rounds of public engagement.

In other rulemaking hearings, the board unanimously approved:

• Rules for the Administration of the School Transformation Grant Program to align with new statutory requirements. The roughly $7 million annual grant program supports school improvement efforts statewide.
• Rules for the Administration of Statewide Accountability Measures to align with new statutory requirements and clarify how sites will be identified as Insufficient State Data: Low Participation, an indication of low state assessment participation. The changes also set improvement planning requirements for districts and schools in this category.
• Rules for the Administration of Medications were updated to align with Senate Bill 25-278 by replacing the term “epinephrine auto-injector” with “emergency-use epinephrine.” The changes reflect new non-injectable methods for administering epinephrine in school settings and include technical updates to clarify language.
• The repeal of five obsolete rule sets that were created to comply with laws that have since been repealed.
• Board approves updates to high school math standards

The board unanimously approved revisions to the Colorado Academic Standards for high school mathematics following a multi-year review and public feedback process. The updates clarify standards language, organize the standards in pathways, strengthen connections to real-world applications and technology, and provide clearer guidance for districts during implementation. Districts will have a two-year transition period before the revised standards take effect in the 2028-29 school year.

Board approves educator preparation programs

The state board authorized several educator preparation programs, including:

• Pueblo Community College as a traditional educator preparation program for the technology education (6-12) endorsement;
• Colorado Association of Latino Administrators and Superintendents as a designated agency for alternative teacher preparation for all K-12 and secondary endorsement areas;
• Education ReEnvisioned BOCES as a designated agency for alternative educator preparation for elementary, principal and all K-12 and secondary endorsement areas; and
• Colorado Christian University, which was reauthorized for its alternative teacher preparation program.

Board approves multidistrict online schools

Because multi-district online schools can serve students across Colorado, applications undergo an extensive state review process evaluating district oversight capacity, operational plans, and alignment with state quality standards before final board approval. On Thursday, the state board approved:

• An application submitted by Pueblo School District 60 on behalf of D60 Online; and
• An application submitted by Pueblo School District 60 on behalf of Paragon Learning Center. 

The board voted 6-2 against approving an application by Education reEnvisioned BOCES on behalf of PSAS Online.

###

The Colorado Department of Education’s vision is to create equitable educational environments where all students and staff in Colorado thrive. Our role is to improve student outcomes and ensure students and families across Colorado have access to high-quality schools by serving, guiding, and elevating our state’s 178 school districts and BOCES.