Editor’s note: This article was written by Milagros Chavez, A Denver Public Schools parent who served on the district’s Communication Devices Advisory Commitee
My name is Milagros Chavez. I am a Latina mother, community leader, former Denver Public Schools parent, and a member of the district’s Communication Devices Advisory Committee (CDAC), the group charged with studying cell phone use in schools and making recommendations to the Board of Education.
Over the course of several months, our committee listened to students, parents, educators, mental health professionals, and district leaders. We reviewed research, examined implementation challenges, and wrestled with difficult questions about safety, equity, and student well-being. We did not arrive at our recommendation lightly.
That is why I am deeply concerned to hear about efforts (including on the Boardhawk podcast interview with DPS Board Director Marlene De La Rosa) to weaken the committee’s recommendation for a districtwide, bell-to-bell phone-free school policy.
As someone whose son lives with Type 1 diabetes and had a 504 Plan throughout his education, I understand the concerns being raised about students with medical needs. My family lived that reality every day. Yet my experience is exactly why I believe accommodations and a strong bell-to-bell policy can coexist.
During our committee discussions, we repeatedly heard concerns that some students might need access to a device because of a medical condition or disability. Those conversations mattered. They deserve to be taken seriously. But they should not be used as a reason to abandon a policy that has the potential to benefit thousands of students across Denver.
My son received the support he needed through his school, his educators, and school health staff. Schools already provide accommodations every day for students with medical needs. We should continue doing that. But creating accommodations for students who need them is very different from allowing unrestricted phone access for every student throughout the school day.
What stayed with me most during the CDAC process was the growing consensus around one issue: our students are struggling with connection.
Again and again, we heard concerns about anxiety, isolation, distraction, social pressure, and the difficulty many young people face in being fully present at school. We heard from educators who described spending valuable instructional time managing devices instead of teaching. We heard from families who wanted their children to have more opportunities to engage with classmates face-to-face. We heard from students themselves about the pressures that come from constant notifications, social media, and digital distractions.
This conversation is often framed as a debate about discipline. I believe it is really about student well-being.
When students spend every passing period, lunch period, and free moment looking at a screen, we lose opportunities for human connection. We lose opportunities for friendship, community, and belonging. We lose opportunities for trusted adults to notice when a student may be struggling.
As a Latina mother, I know how important schools can be as places of connection, support, and opportunity. For many students, school is the place where they build relationships that help them succeed academically, emotionally, and socially.
The CDAC recommendation was not about punishment. It was about creating learning environments where students can focus, connect, and thrive. It was about ensuring consistency across schools so expectations are clear for students, families, and staff. And it was about putting student well-being at the center of the conversation.
Denver Public Schools asked a diverse group of stakeholders to spend months studying this issue and developing a recommendation. We did that work thoughtfully and in good faith. Now, I hope district leaders will honor that process and the voices of the families, and educators who helped shape it.
Our students deserve schools where connection matters more than notifications, where learning matters more than scrolling, and where every child has the opportunity to be fully present in the classroom
