BERTHOUD, Colo. — Thompson School District is putting its first-ever district-wide cellphone policy into practice this school year, following a new Colorado law requiring every school district to have a cellphone policy in place.
The policy enforces a bell-to-bell ban on cellphones and personal devices for most students. High school students are the one exception. They may use their phones during class with a teacher's permission.
Denver7 nothern Colorado and eastern plains reporter Peter Choi brought parents' concerns to the district about enforcement in the video below:
For parents like Brittany Barron, who has four children enrolled in Thompson schools, the new policy has been largely welcomed.
"There was a lot of support of the policy, and just a lot of this is amazing. It happened, and we can kind of take a breath that our kids are going to be able to have that undistracted learning experience," Barron said.
Barron owns a small store in Berthoud, which she describes as a gathering place for parents in the community.
"This is our therapy counter. We process all things parenting. Yeah, I think it was a lot of, 'Did you hear it passed?' I think there was a lot of excitement from parents," Barron said.
Safety remains a top concern for many parents under the new restrictions. Barron said the ability to reach her children during the school day has long provided peace of mind.
"Parents have a safety concern. Sending your kids to school in 2026, it can be a scary thing, and so being able to reach your kids puts an element of comfort. I think for a lot of parents, and it's really hard to pull that back when you've felt that connection and comfort there," Barron said.
Thompson School District Communication Officer Mike Hausmann said families still have a way to get messages to their children.
"Family members are always welcome to contact the front desk at the schools, and they can work with the staff member to make sure that a message gets to the student," Hausmann said.
Consistent enforcement across classrooms is another concern among parents. Heidi Van Patten said she worries the policy wouldn't be applied consistently.
"I really just think that all like, everybody, has to be on the same page... what happens is some teachers aren't as strict as others, and some teachers let it slide, so then it's like, inconsistent," Van Patten said.
Hausmann said the district plans to monitor how the policy is working and adjust as necessary.
"We'll be providing an update coming up in the future weeks to the Board of Education in terms of how it is going, and we'll then be making adjustments as we need to," Hausmann said.
Barron said she hopes the district creates a dedicated channel for parent feedback.
"I would really hope that there's going to be a space where parents can express their concerns that goes to the district and not to our individual teachers," Barron said.
Find more information about the district's cellphone and personal device policy here.
