STAUNTON – When students return to school on Aug. 7, they will be required to power off and put away their cell phones, according to Staunton City Schools "Away for the Day" cell phone policy for the 2024-2025 school year.
The new policy follows Gov. Glenn Youngkin's Executive Order 33 , which aims to reduce or eliminate cell phone usage in schools and limit the impact of smartphone use on K-12 students' mental health.
"We were already moving in that direction but the governor's order just helps reinforce our position," said Garett Smith, superintendent of Staunton City Schools, when the executive order was issued.
Staunton's current policy prohibits student use of cell phones, earbuds, and other electronic communication devices during the school day. Now, students will be required to store their devices throughout the school day.
Student families took to the school division's Facebook page in response to the new policy.
"Wonderful," said Matt Garner on the school system's Facebook page. "Cell phones are nothing but a distraction to learning and listening. We did fine without them. They would have been fun to have but I know I would have paid zero attention in school with one at hand."
Bryan Flavin said he is concerned about the school division paying more attention to bullying than cell phones.
"I hope the school district will put even more effort into creating, enacting, and enforcing a true BULLYING policy," said Flavin on Facebook. "I know that is a more preeminent problem in our schools than cell phones."
"Cell phones are a primary platform for bullying," Jason McHenry said to Flavin. "This will directly impact those issues as well. No policy works in a vacuum."
Allison Dawn commented on Facebook that she is worried about school shootings. "I’d be more ok with this if mass school shootings weren’t a thing."
The school division responded to Dawn's concern by sharing a video that explained how cell phones in emergency situations can do more harm than good.
"I would still feel better if it was in my kid’s pocket," said Dawn in response. "It’s fine if they aren’t allowed to take them out. But there’s not a chance I’m allowing their phone to be locked away during the day. Nobody in that video provided or named a single instance where the hypothetical 'problems' they mentioned actually happened. Or named actual studies or data to back up what they said."
Staunton City Schools said school administrators will provide families with more detailed information about phone storage procedures in the coming days.
What is the new cell phone policy?
According to a fact sheet provided to student families, this is how it works, why it's beneficial to students and also helps with school safety:
How it works for middle and high school students
Middle school: Students must turn off and stow away their cell phones from 8:15 a.m. to 3:40 p.m. (cell phones can be turned on at 3:40 p.m.). This includes no phones at lunch or during class transitions. Phones will be stored in lockers or backpacks during class time. In the event of necessary contact with a parent or guardian, students will be allowed to use a classroom or office phone.
High school: Students must turn off and stow away their cell phones during classes throughout the day. Classrooms will have storage pouches for students to stow away their phones until class ends. Since Staunton High School students often have classes, jobs and extracurricular activities that take them off campus, they can access their cell phones during lunch and class transitions.
Note: Staunton City Schools will provide appropriate accommodations for students with a medical need for phone access during the school day with a doctor’s note.
'Away for the Day' benefits
Research shows that students do better without phones, smartwatches and other personal devices at school, according to the Staunton City Schools fact sheet.
It helps with school safety.
"We know one of the greatest concerns for parents is their child’s safety and having quick access in the event of an emergency or school lockdown," the school division said. "Security experts agree that using a cell phone during a school emergency can be more harmful than helpful. They actually make students less safe."
The school division said they would always quickly and directly communicate with families concerning situations impacting student safety. "Check out the security measures we have in place to help keep our schools safe. Limited student access to phones helps to minimize school conflicts and cyberbullying."
Students can focus and perform better in class.
Studies show that students’ academic performance actually decreases with the mere presence of a phone in class, according to Away for the Day. Students can minimize distractions and stay focused on classroom activities and learning by keeping cell phones off and away.
Students have an opportunity to grow socially and emotionally.
"Students are encouraged to engage and interact with their surroundings instead of retreating into their cell phones, fostering a positive and interactive learning environment and the development of social skills," the fact sheet said and then listed ways using social media can harm kids, including higher risk for depression by magnifying feelings of isolation and exclusion.
- Face-to-face time with friends and classmates counteracts the isolating, depressive feelings that come up when looking at a screen.
- With emotional support, students can develop valuable skills.
- When parents help their children plan their days without text messages, they help them develop valuable executive-functioning skills.
- The frontal lobe, the brain's control center for impulse control, is not fully developed in middle school-aged children. "When we say, 'Kids just need to learn how to handle phone use in places like classrooms,' we are setting many kids up for failure."
To learn more, visit www.awayfortheday.org , the primary source of guidance used in the school division's new cell phone policy.
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This article originally appeared on Staunton News Leader: 'Away for the Day': Staunton school system rolls out cell phone-free classroom policy
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