Where cellphones are banned in Colorado schools

The majority of Colorado's largest school districts ban cellphones in classrooms, part of a nationwide movement to keep technology from distracting students .

Why it matters: Cellphone policies are a new education flashpoint. The devices serve as a lifeline to parents and a teaching tool, but also obstacles that keep students from paying attention and enable cheating.

State of play: About one-third of the 20 largest districts in Colorado have adopted limits on cellphone use in the last two years, our education reporting partners at Chalkbeat found.

• The policies include a range of restrictions and about 11 of the 20 require phones to be out of sight during class, though not for lunch or free periods.

Yes, but: Other prominent districts — including Denver, Jefferson County and Aurora — don't have policies, meaning schools and teachers set their own rules.

What they're saying: Greeley West High School senior Madison Vella said her fellow students would pull out their phones during any break in teaching before the district's policy prohibited their use in classrooms.

• "It's gotten a lot better and there's more talking amongst the students … talking about the class itself or other things going on at the school," she told Chalkbeat.

The intrigue: Parents worry restrictive policies will make it tougher to reach their children in emergencies. But often parents are the ones texting their children during the day, causing distractions.

• "Kids will tell us — and do all the time — that it's their parents texting, it's their parents calling," Jamie White, Brighton's District 27J safety director told Chalkbeat. "We have a generation of parents and kids who've always had cell phones."