Virginia Public Schools Ban Students from Using Cellphones During Entire School Day

Students from Kindergarten to High School may soon be prohibited from using their cell phones and personal communication devices during the school day from "bell-to-bell", according to Virginia's Department of Education.

This comes after Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin issued Executive Order 33 last month, calling for the implementation of a "cellphone-free education" for the state's K-12 students. The order tasks the state's Department of Education with defining and implementing Gov. Youngkin's order, and so staff from the department have held state-wide meetings with parents, educators, stakeholders and community members in order to discuss implementation.

The draft-guidance would effectively prohibit all forms of cellphone usage by K-12 students for the entirety of the school day, from the first bell that commences the school day to the last bell that dismisses students. This will include lunch, break periods, and time in between classes.

"Virginia parents and teachers have witnessed first-hand the damage cell phones in schools has had on our youth's academic, mental and physical health and social development." said Secretary of Education Aimee Rogstad Guidera. "Communities are committed to implementing common sense approaches to restore vibrant and healthy learning environments for all our children throughout the commonwealth."

At the elementary school level, the guidance aims to ban cell phones from school grounds entirely. Some allowances are made for middle and high school students, who would be allowed to use their cellphones on school grounds before and after the school day.

The Virginia Department of Education released its final guidance on Tuesday after publishing a draft last Thursday.

"By refocusing our students' attention back into learning and away from their phones and social media, all our children will have a better opportunity to learn and succeed academically," said Superintendent of Public Instruction Lisa Coons.