RICHMOND – On July 9, Governor Glenn Youngkin issued Executive Order 33 to help bring cell phone-free education to Virginia schools, directing the Virginia Department of Education and the Secretary of Education alongside the Secretary of Health and Human Resources, State Health Commissioner, the Department of Health, and the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services to help parents, teachers, and students better understand the effects of cell phones and social media on children.
A key component of Governor Youngkin’s Executive Order charges the VDOE with defining what a cell phone-free education means in the Commonwealth. After listening to and reviewing the thousands of comments and suggestions from Virginians, VDOE has developed draft guidance for school divisions on policies and procedures to establish cell phone-free education and remove cell phones and personal electronic communication devices from Virginia’s public school classrooms. That draft guidance developed has been published on VDOE’s website and is available for review and comment through Sept. 15, 2024.
“This draft guidance is the result of Virginians coming together and saying, ‘Enough.’”, said Secretary of Education Aimee Rogstad Guidera. “Virginia parents and teachers have witnessed first-hand the damage cell phones in schools has had on our youth’s academic, mental and physical health and social development. Communities are committed to implementing common sense approaches to restore vibrant and healthy learning environments for all our children throughout the Commonwealth. The Youngkin administration stands ready to support public schools, families, and communities as we change the culture around cell phones.”
“This draft guidance clears the cloud of distraction over classrooms and creates an environment where Virginia students can meaningfully connect with their schoolwork, friends, and teachers,” stated Secretary of Health and Human Resources Janet Kelly. “I anticipate this guidance having a positive impact far beyond the classroom.”
The draft guidance defines cell phone-free education in Virginia’s schools as “bell-to-bell”, meaning phones should be turned off and stored away from the first bell at the start of the school day to begin instructional time until the dismissal bell rings at the end of the academic school day. “Bell-to-bell” includes lunch and time in between class periods.
To better understand Virginians’ expectations for cell phone-free education, Superintendent of Public Instruction Lisa Coons hosted nine Commonwealth Conversations throughout the state. Over 600 parents, teachers, division superintendents, principals, community members, and students attended the Conversations, and nearly an additional 1,500 commented on the VDOE website. Dr. Coons and other state education and mental health leaders also participated in 11 additional stakeholder group conversations with over an additional 500 community and faith leaders, parent organizations, school boards, superintendents, principals, and school nurse associations to better understand their concerns on cell phones and personal electronic communication devices.
“The extensive input we received from Virginians was clear and direct,” said Superintendent of Public Instruction Lisa Coons. “They asked for cell phones and personal electronic communication devices to be removed from our children’s public schools during the school day at every level- elementary, middle, and high school. By refocusing our students’ attention back into learning and away from their phones and social media, all our children will have a better opportunity to learn and succeed academically.”
As required in Executive Order 33, the draft guidance also incorporates age-appropriate cell phone restrictions in Virginia’s elementary and secondary public schools.
If a parent determines an elementary student needs to bring a cell phone or personal electronic communication device to school, it must be stored, off, and away from the student during the school day. It should not be used in the school building or on the school grounds before or after school.
In middle school, students should not have an easily available cell phone or personal electronic communication device during the bell-to-bell school day. School divisions should establish local policies that determine cell phone and personal electronic communication device use within the school building or on school grounds outside of bell-to-bell, including before and after school.
In high school, students should not have an easily accessible cell phone or personal electronic communication device during the bell-to-bell school day. Outside of the bell-to-bell instructional time, cell phones and personal electronic communication devices may be used on a high school campus before or after school.
When considering cell phone-free education, parents expressed concerns regarding students with documented medical conditions who use their phones to monitor their medical needs. Incorporating input from school nurses, pediatricians, and health care officials, the draft guidance recognizes students with medical needs may have a medical exemption to the bell-to-bell policy included in their Individualized Education Plan, 504 plan, and/or individualized health care plans.
Parents throughout the Commonwealth were also very clear that they wanted the ability to know about their child’s well-being during an emergency. The draft guidance recognizes the importance of emergency communications to parents and requires that all school divisions build plans to communicate directly with parents, as well as reunification plans with children and parents, into their already required crisis and contingency plans. The draft guidance also encourages school divisions to discuss those emergency communication and reunification plans so that parents and students know how such situations will be handled proactively if they occur.
Parents also asked for the ability to communicate to their children during the school day in case of a family-based emergency. While many public schools already have such procedures in place, the draft guidance looks to school divisions to develop and share family-based emergency school plan procedures with parents and students, as well as post them on their website.
Virginians can expect the following next steps:
After considering Virginians’ feedback to the draft guidance, VDOE will issue final guidance on Sept. 16, 2024.
School divisions will adopt policies and procedures by Jan. 1, 2025. School divisions are encouraged to review their current policies and adopt age-appropriate policies and procedures aligned with the final guidance ahead of this date or policies that are more comprehensive than the final guidance.
Virginia Department of Education
