![Hosting the SCLA Casptone Mentor Dinner outside allowed for more attendees on September 27, 2021 at Silver Creek. This event would’ve usually been held inside. According to Lauren Kohn, a SCLA 12 teacher, “If we have a higher number of people, as long as we can host the event outside, then that seems to be keeping every[one] safe”.](https://schsnews.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/sxMAIGbSYGodZkqmrvTi5YWcJ1ssWA08ApkeMLpp-900x675.jpeg)
The Colorado State legislatures passed House Bill 1135 earlier this year enforcing every district and school to have their own phone policy for the near future.
“The legislators passed a bill called House Bill 1135, and in that bill, they require school districts or any public school to adopt and implement policies limiting student cell use by July 1st of 2026,” Erick Finnestead, Principal of Silver Creek High School said.
St. Vrain Valley School District’s approach is to provide specific rules about what students can do with phones and what they can’t but they mostly left it up to the schools.
The policy at Silver Creek is mostly left up to the teacher, with each teacher having their own unique phone policy. However, the school-wide phone policy is as follows. First, if you are seen with your phone during class, you will receive a warning. Second, the teacher will take away the device and give it back to the student at the end of class. Third, the phone will go to the office, and the parents will have to get the device back.
“Well, with the phone policy, I hate it but it is necessary to have students to be successful,” Luke Creer, Silver Creek High School senior, said. “It helps me get my homework done because I am a victim of being on my phone and not getting my work done.”
Silver Creek, along with other schools across the district like Niwot and Skyline, have seen improvement in participation in class, along with students utilizing their time better because students are not distracted by their phone.
“The situation is going to be a million times better than it was last year, because without the phone, students are going to have to interact with each other, they are doing their work at a higher quality,” Stephanie Owen, Silver Creek High School Science Teacher said. “Things are going much smoother without phones out in class while we’re doing work as a group.”
Owen didn’t have a strict phone policy last year, as she trusted students to do the right thing and not take their phone out in class.
“The phone policy has done really nothing because I’m not seeing any changes in action on my part,” Evan Coniglio, Silver Creek High School junior, said. It feels the same as last year. I really only use my phone during my free block and lunch.”
Although the primary goal of this phone policy is to have students off their phones, most students don’t appear to really care becausep some teachers already had a phone policy. However, they are participating in class more regularly, which is an added benefit of the policy.
“I noticed devices were consistently drawing students’ attention away from what was happening in the classroom,” Carmen Rubino, Silver Creek High School math teacher, said. “As devices became more and more available, attention was being drawn away.”
Rubino who has had a phone policy for over ten years and this has allowed for more participation from students in the classroom.
“It’s important [to have a phone policy] because when kids are in school, the focus should be on our curriculum,” Finnestead said. “What we’re learning is important for these kids to develop life skills.”
