Virginia schools receive guidance for cellphone-free classrooms

The Virginia Department of Education released draft guidance Thursday afternoon for school districts to implement measures to remove cellphones from "bell to bell" in classrooms.

The guidance comes after Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R-VA) signed an executive order directing the department to find ways for schools to achieve a "cellphone-free education."

"This draft guidance is the result of Virginians coming together and saying, ‘enough.’ Virginia parents and teachers have witnessed first-hand the damage cellphones in schools has had on our youth’s academic, mental and physical health and social development," Commonwealth Secretary of Education Aimee Guidera said. "Communities are committed to implementing common sense approaches to restore vibrant and healthy learning environments for all our children throughout the Commonwealth. The Youngkin administration stands ready to support public schools, families, and communities as we change the culture around cellphones.”

The goal of the guidance is for students to have their cellphones off and stored away from "bell to bell," meaning from the moment the first class bell rings in the morning to the last bell in the afternoon.

The guidance also varies for different age groups. If parents determine that elementary children should bring a cellphone to school, the device must be off and stored away all day and should not be used in the school building or on campus before or after school.

Middle school students should not have their device "easily accessible" during the school day, and the guidance leaves it up to individual school districts to determine cellphone use policies in the school building and on campus both before and after school.

High school students have a similar requirement during the school day, but they are permitted to use the devices in the school building and on campus before and after school.

The guidance makes exceptions for students who have certain medical needs.

While removing cellphones from class time is relatively popular among most parents, one of the major sticking points for some parents who are skeptical of such policies is being able to contact their child in the case of an emergency.

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The guidance requires school districts to create family contact plans for both school emergencies and family emergencies.

The guidance is not final and is open for feedback for the next 30 days. Final guidance will be issued Sept. 16.