In The NoCo

Many Colorado districts are banning mobile phones during the school day. How’s that going?

By In The NoCo,

Brad Turner, Leigh Paterson, Erin O'Toole

Published June 18, 2026 at 5:36 AM MDT

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A student wearing a backpack hands a phone over to an adult in a hockey jersey standing behind multiple bins. — 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.

This might be the end for text messages from the school lunchroom and Instagram pics from the hallways. At least if students follow the rules.

Denver Public Schools, the state’s largest school district, announced last week it's banning cell phones, smart watches and other devices during the school day. Previously, different schools in DPS had different policies on when or if to allow kids to use devices.

A growing number of Colorado school districts have enacted bans similar to the new DPS policy — or are considering them right now. That’s partly because state lawmakers ordered every district to set a policy on mobile device use by July 1.

So how did school officials in Denver arrive at a bell-to-bell prohibition on phones? And what factors are different districts weighing as they consider their own policies?

Reporter Melanie Asmar heard from parents, students and educators while reporting on the story for Chalkbeat Colorado. She talked with In The NoCo's Brad Turner about what she learned.

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In The NoCo

KUNC's In The NoCo is a daily slice of stories, news, people and issues. It's a window to the communities along the Colorado Rocky Mountains. The show brings context and insight to the stories of the day, often elevating unheard voices in the process. And because life in Northern Colorado is a balance of work and play, we celebrate the lighter side of things here, too.

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Brad Turner

Brad Turner is an executive producer in KUNC's newsroom. He manages the podcast team that makes In The NoCo, which also airs weekdays in Morning Edition and All Things Considered. His work as a podcaster and journalist has appeared on NPR's Weekend Edition, NPR Music, the PBS Newshour, Colorado Public Radio, MTV Online, the Denver Post, Boulder's Daily Camera, and the Longmont Times-Call.

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Leigh Paterson

As KUNC's Interim Senior Managing Editor, my job is to find out what’s important to northern Colorado residents and why. I seek to create a deeper sense of urgency and understanding around these issues through in-depth, character driven daily reporting and series work.

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Erin O'Toole

As the host of KUNC’s news program and podcast In The NoCo, I work closely with our producers and reporters to bring context and diverse perspectives to the important issues of the day. Northern Colorado is such a diverse and growing region, brimming with history, culture, music, education, civic engagement, and amazing outdoor recreation. I love finding the stories and voices that reflect what makes NoCo such an extraordinary place to live.

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