Herald News Briefs: ‘Cell phone-free’ education discussion set

On Tuesday, July 9, Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin issued Executive Order 33, looking to guarantee a “cell phone-free education” to students. It doesn’t order an outright ban on phones or demand that any certain protocols be followed. Instead, he’s calling for communities to get involved and help design the rules they want to see.

First, the order calls for listening sessions to be held in each region. This region’s session is set to be held this coming Friday, Aug. 2 at 1:30 p.m. at Southside Virginia Community College in Keysville. It’ll take place in the workforce development center, located at 200 Daniel Road in Keysville.

The argument from Youngkin and multiple other politicians has been that cell phones are a distraction in the classroom. More than that, the administration and others point to studies that question if cell phone use in school contributes to lower test scores.

A 2023 study by the Fordham Institute seems to back up that argument, stating that increased phone use in classes contributed to the decline seen in test scores even before the pandemic.

Once all the listening sessions are held, all school districts must adapt the recommendations provided by the state and design their own cell phone-free education plan, which will be finished by Jan. 1, 2025.

Keeping prepared for the season

After the school year is over, Longwood’s Michael Christmas goes back to Hampton Roads, where he competes each summer in the 7 Cities Pro Am League. For the second straight year, Christmas was named the league’s MVP. The competition was held in Norfolk and ran every Sunday in July, with games free for the public to watch. In many ways, it’s basically an All-Star event, with players coming in to use it almost as a training camp of sorts, before heading back for the college season in the fall.

Fuqua gets a donation

Fuqua School athletes recently got an upgrade in their training equipment. St. Catherine’s School in Richmond donated weight room equipment, which Fuqua staff said was in excellent condition. Coaches Michael, Brittany and Nicholas Davis helped bring the machines to campus, traveling back and forth to St. Catherine’s and hauling the equipment.

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