New year, new rules for Richmond-area public schools

Clear backpacks, no cellphones, more weapons scanners and mandatory IDs — it's shaping up to be a different kind of school year for most Richmond-area students.

Why it matters: It's back-to-school week for metro Richmond public school kids, and some of the biggest changes since the pandemic are in effect for most local districts.

The big picture: For three of the region's four large school districts, making schools safer, plus creating a better learning environment, drove them to implement changes this year.

Henrico

All of Henrico County's roughly 50,000 students will pass through weapons scanners to enter school and be required to wear photo IDs, the district announced this month.

• Students will get their encrypted and scannable ID cards on the first day of school and will be required to wear them throughout the day, including to ride the bus and enter schools.
• The IDs will also be used to check out library books and buy lunch or snacks from the cafeteria and vending machines. Down the road, they'll be required at after-school activities and sports games.
• The weapons scanners are new for elementary schools; Henrico added them at all its middle and high schools last year.

Both changes will make students safer amid national increases in youth crime, "societal changes" and "escalating student behavior," the county said in statement.

Richmond

Making schools safer, plus at least two students bringing guns to school earlier this year, drove Richmond Public Schools to require clear backpacks for its 22,000 students this year.

• The policy went into effect for summer school, and while there were early concerns about parents finding and affording clear backpacks, the district collected over 22,000 at a donation drive this month.
• Each school was tasked with distributing the backpacks to students, RPS said in a statement.

Hanover

Hanover's 17,000 students will be cellphone free for the entire school day.

• The board debated the change for months before voting in July to move forward with it, just hours before Gov. Youngkin signed an executive order directing every district in the Commonwealth to begin developing similar policies.
• Hanover's cellphone ban prohibits students from using their phones during school hours, including between classes and at lunch.
• They must be stored in backpacks and out of sight, with exceptions for instructional purposes or medical needs.

Hanover also adopted a clear-bag policy for this school year, but only for after-school events and sports games.

Chesterfield

There are no major changes for the 64,000 students in Chesterfield. But the county is once again doing staggered start days to help younger students adjust in smaller school settings.

• Students in grades one through five, six and nine start Monday.
• Seven and eight and 10-12 start Tuesday.
• Pre-K and Kindergarten start Monday or Wednesday.

Worth noting: Both Chesterfield and Hanover will start the year with new and interim superintendents.

The bottom line: It's a brave new world for students, but just think of all the "in my day" stories they'll have to tell their grandkids one day.