VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — The Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) is looking for input on Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s Executive Order 33.
Youngkin issued the order earlier this month to “establish a cell phone free education.” It will be the first statewide initiative to eliminate or severely restrict cell phone use for all the state's public schools.
Leaders with the VDOE are traveling across the Commonwealth to hear input from parents and educators. Tallwood High School in Virginia Beach marked their second stop Monday evening.
“This truly is a discussion… We’re here to talk with them about their expectations, about what they think’s working, what they think’s not working," Todd Reid, VDOE's chief communications advisor, told 13News Now.
Reid said the goal of the executive order is to curb learning loss and improve students’ mental health.
“We’re trying to address this from a mental health aspect. We’re looking to address this also from an education aspect because our kids need to be in school. They need to be concentrating while they’re there," he said.
Some local school divisions already restrict cell phone access during school hours, like Virginia Beach City Public Schools (VBCPS).
President of the Virginia Beach Education Association Heather Sipe supports the policy going statewide. Still, she voiced some concerns.
“I really just hope in the end, that I hear from VDOE anything that they bring down, they’re going to look at the feasibility at the local level to actually implement anything that they put into place regulation wise," Sipe said.
13News Now previously heard from parents who are concerned about not being able to contact their child in case of an emergency. Reid said the VDOE is researching school divisions nationwide to find the best solution to that.
“We know that it’s a factor. It’s on parents’ minds. You know, we’re looking at current policies. We’re looking at what’s going on here in Virginia, going on in other places that are implementing this policy, and how they’re dealing with those concerns," Reid said.
The final guidance is expected to be complete in September. From there, school divisions will have to adopt the policies by January 1.
If you can’t make Monday's meeting, you can still share your thoughts online by clicking here.