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Durango schools tighten cell-phone rule: phones must be stored off students' person, district cites neuroscience research
Summary
Board members said the district updated its cell-phone policy to require that student phones be kept off their person (for example, in a classroom caddy or other storage) after district staff attended a conference summarizing research on phone distraction and working memory.
Durango School District staff told the board Aug. 19 that the district updated its student cell-phone rule to require phones be kept off students’ persons and out of sight during class time.
What changed: staff said the policy clarifies that phones must be physically off a student’s person and not left on desks; acceptable practices include storing phones in a classroom caddy or other out-of-sight location. District officials said this is an enforcement clarification rather than an entirely new ban.
Why it changed: staff reported training and information from a summer conference about the neuroscience of attention and smartphone distraction. Presenters at that event and a district communication from Dr. Hurrell, the district’s technology/learning staff, emphasized that having a phone in sight reduces working memory and increases distraction even if the device is unused. The district said that prompted stricter enforcement guidance so phones are not visible in the learning space.
Implementation: administrators said front-office staff and principals are trained on visitor and device protocols, and that the district will re-send family-facing communications. Board members asked for copies of the staff message and the district said it would forward Dr. Hurrell’s message to the board.
No formal action was required at the meeting; staff said they will provide the revised policy language and an accessible summary to the board and families.
