NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin released finalized guidance for cell phone-free education on Tuesday.
It's an executive order created to reduce distractions in the classroom. These guidelines, which are months in the making, break down how cell phone use will be implemented, depending on your child's age.
The Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) defines cell-phone-free education in Virginia as “bell-to-bell,” meaning cell phones should be turned off and stored away from the first bell at the start of the school day until the dismissal bell.
The guidance says the cell phone-free guidance will be applied differently based on a child’s school age. That means for elementary school students, a parent will need to determine if a student needs to carry a cell phone with them to school. If the student must bring a cell phone, then it should be stored off and put away during the school day.
For middle school students, a school division would have to establish policies for students to follow. For high school, the guidance says students cannot use their phones during the school day, but they can use them outside of the bell-to-bell instructional time.
The VDOE also said it will be up to school divisions on how they plan to store away student cell phones.
Later this week, the VDOE will release an “Administrator’s Toolkit” to help school leaders implement their cell phone policies. School divisions must adopt and implement policies that align with the state’s “bell-to-bell” guidance by January 1, 2025.