After Gov. Glenn Youngkin issued an executive order last month mandating the Virginia Department of Education to come up with a policy where public schools would be cellphone-free, NoVA school systems have been implementing new rules for the school year.
The Virginia Department of Education on Thursday issued its draft guidance for school districts on cellphone use, favoring a “bell-to-bell” ban on cellphone use that goes beyond the school systems’ current policies. It takes comments through September 15 and issues the final guidelines the next day. School systems are directed to adopt policies and procedures that comply by January 1, 2025.
While some school systems are in session, others are about to go back. Here’s a rundown of Northern Virginia school systems, with their start dates and their cellphone policies:
Fairfax County (Aug. 19)
High school: Cellphones cannot be used during class time. They can be used before and after school, between class periods, and during lunchtime. Nine high schools — Edison, Falls Church, Justice, Lewis, Madison, McLean, Robinson, and Westfield — are participating in a pilot program in which students will put their phones in storage containers located in classrooms.
Middle school: Cellphones can only be used before and after the school day. Starting September 3, schools in the middle school pilot program — Frost, Irving, Jackson, Poe, Robinson, Thoreau, and Twain — will give each student a magnetic pouch that disables their phone. They’ll bring the pouches to school each day, put their phones in them in the morning and take them out at the end of the day.
K-6: Phones have to be in backpacks for the duration of the school day.
In all cases, students with smartwatches can continue to use them, but any phone features such as calling, texting, or internet browsing have to be turned off at any times when phones aren’t permitted.
Prince William County (Aug. 19)
Thirty-three of the district’s schools will participate in a pilot program in which high school students are prohibited from using their phones during class time and can only use them before and after school, between classes, and at lunchtime. (Only one earbud is allowed during these times.) Middle schoolers in the program must put away their phones for the entire school day.
For a list of schools, see the pilot program’s website.
Loudoun County (Aug. 22)
Loudoun County already passed a new cellphone rules policy in June: High schoolers must put phones in a backpack or a storage locker during class time; middle schoolers have to keep phones in their lockers; elementary school students are not allowed to use personal technology.
Arlington County (Aug. 26)
School officials are still discussing a proposal that would be similar to Fairfax County’s, whereby high schoolers could only use phones at lunch and between classes, while lower grades would have to keep their phones stored away for the entire school day.
Fauquier County (Aug. 14)
High schoolers can only use phones at lunchtime and between classes; during class, the teacher can decide whether students can keep them on their persons or put them in backpacks or another storage location. Middle schoolers have to turn their phones off at the beginning of the day, while elementary school students have to keep theirs in backpacks.
Stafford County (Aug. 13)
The county already passed in June a new policy: All students have to turn off their phones and keep them out of sight for the duration of the school day. They can be on and used before and after the school day, and at after-school practices and activities.
In all cases, the cellphone rules allow parents who need to contact their children during the school day to call the office, and the office will contact the students in turn.
Feature image by Cheryl Casey/stock.adobe.com
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