High schoolers in Ouray have some new rules for using cellphones when they return to school this fall, and those rules include no phones during class time unless a teacher specifically approves it for instructional reasons.
The Ouray School Board unanimously approved the revised policy at a special meeting Tuesday night, along with changes to the high school student handbook.
The changes, prompted by a new state law requiring all school districts to adopt some form of a cellphone policy limiting use by July 2026, walk the line between restricting unlimited use and allowing for situations where high schoolers can use their phones, including passing periods or even in classes with teacher permission.
“We don’t use the word ‘ban’ here,” said Superintendent Tod Lokey, who is also the high school principal. “We are taking steps to restrict their regular access.”
One of those steps school leaders have taken is considering how students use their cellphones in class now, and acquiring other technology to make it unnecessary to use those cellphones.
For example, the school went back to purchasing calculators for students.
“We bought Texas Instruments calculators for every kid,” said Lokey. “Kids no longer ask us, ‘Can I use my phone as a calculator?’” The policy strikes a balance between allowing access to phones in certain situations and avoiding distraction.
There are times students might still use phones for classes — to shoot videos or photos for a project, for example — but it’s on a case by case basis and up to the teacher.
Students are otherwise prohibited from using their phones during class, and though they can still bring them to school, they must be silenced and stored in either their lockers or backpack, or some kind of storage option provided by teachers in their classrooms. Phones may be used in school emergencies.
The school also plans to discourage using cellphones during passing periods between classes.
“We’re giving you back the value of time. Engage in conversations and activities face-to-face and without distractions from phones,” the revised policy in the handbook said.
Lokey also said teachers may allow students to listen to music through other devices, like a school-issued Chromebook, which doesn’t offer the same distractions from notifications and social media or other apps as a cellphone.
“I would much rather have a kid listen to music through the Chromebook or their laptop,” he told the board. “When that phone’s out, I have no idea what else is going on with it.”
Board members also discussed concerns with students not focusing on their work or rushing through it to be able to use their phones.
Lokey compared it to not allowing students to read books after they finish standardized tests because it incentivizes finishing quickly if they’d rather be reading.
But at the same time, the board discussed how allowing students to have their phones at school to use them in certain situations gives them the chance to practice making good choices about using technology and exercising self-control.
The consequences for violating the policy are swift, with no initial warnings. The first offense requires the device to be confiscated and taken to the school office until the end of the day, when the student can retrieve it. A second offense means the device is confiscated and goes to the office, where a student’s parent or guardian can pick it up. A third offense triggers a conference between the principal and the student’s parent or guardian and could lead to prohibiting them from having their cellphones at school or needing to turn in their devices to the office during school hours.
“I think we’re really going to help students choose which tools to use and when,” Lokey said.
“(The school is) so small that we can teach the kids these things,” said School Board President Aimee Vann. “I feel that they’ll be better prepared to go out into the world.”
The Ridgway School District is moving forward with a ban on cellphones this fall, with a draft policy expected to come before the school board in August. The plan is stricter than the one adopted by the Ouray School Board, and bans students from using phones during the school day.
