Brighton High School students in Cottonwood Heights will walk into classrooms Monday, Aug. 17, under a new cellphone policy, higher lunch prices and a ban on artificial food dyes. All three changes were approved by the Canyons School District Board of Education this summer and take effect on the first day of the 2026-27 school year.
The board held its final pre-school-year roundtable Tuesday, Aug. 11, at 5 p.m. in Sandy. Board President Amber Shill led the informal session, which carried no formal votes. The district's agenda listed only the work session and adjournment; an audio recording is available on the district's website.
What the board approved earlier this summer will be felt immediately at Brighton and across the district's 50 schools.
Cellphones off and out of sight
Under Policy 500.06, updated to comply with Utah's S.B. 69, personal electronic devices must be off or on silent and stored out of sight during classroom hours at high schools like Brighton. That includes cellphones, smartwatches and AI glasses. Teachers may allow device use for a specific educational purpose. Students can still use phones before school, at lunch and between classes, as long as use isn't disruptive. Middle schools face a stricter bell-to-bell ban.
A March 2026 district survey found 96.2% of Canyons students use cellphones and 46.3% check them every 15 minutes. Some 58.7% said screen time interferes with sleep.
Lunch prices rise for first time since 2022-23
Secondary students will pay $3.00 for lunch, up from $2.25, and $2.25 for breakfast, up from $1.25. Elementary breakfast doubles to $2.00 and lunch rises to $2.50. The board voted 4-1 on June 16 to approve the increases, citing a 16% jump in the consumer price index for food. Board members Shill, Amanda Oaks, Katie Dahle and Karen Pedersen voted yes; Jackson Lewis voted no.
At that June 16 meeting, Lewis encouraged the community to contact state legislators with support for a universal school meals program, according to the district's meeting summary. He was the lone dissenting vote. Six Title I schools will continue offering free meals under the federal Community Eligibility Provisions program regardless of the price change.
Food dye ban
The board also unanimously approved a wellness policy update prohibiting artificial dyes in food sold or served in schools, responding to a new Utah law passed during the 2026 legislative session. Banned additives include Red No. 40, Yellow No. 5 and Blue No. 1. Parents may still send items with banned additives in their child's lunchbox, and concession stands and vending machines at school events are exempt.
What's next
The board's next regular business meeting is Tuesday, Aug. 18, at 7 p.m. at 9361 S. 300 East in Sandy, with a study session beginning at 4:30 p.m.
