RICHMOND — When Garett Smith got the news about Virginia Gov. Youngkin‘s executive order on cell phone use in schools, the Staunton City Schools superintendent was in a meeting with building principals about that very subject.
“We were literally in a meeting about what our cell phone policy would look like for next year,” Smith said.
Youngkin issued an executive order Tuesday, directing the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) to draft guidance for public schools to adopt local policies and procedures establishing cell phone-free education.
“This essential action will promote a healthier and more focused educational environment where every child is free to learn,” Youngkin said in a press release. “Creating cell phone and social media-free educational environments in Virginia’s K-12 education system will benefit students, parents, and educators.”
VDOE is directed to publish their draft guidance by Aug. 15. After listening sessions and other feedback opportunities to get public input on this policy, VDOE will issue final guidance in September for local school divisions to adopt cell phone-free education policies and procedures by Jan. 1, 2025.
“We were already moving in that direction but the Governor’s order just helps reinforce our position,” Smith said.
Staunton’s current policy prohibits student use of cell phones, earbuds, and other electronic communication devices during the school day.
“All personal electronic devices must be turned off and stored per school requirements during the instructional day,” the student handbook reads. “Exceptions may be made for those students with documented health care plans to address physical accommodations, such as glucose monitoring. Students may not audio or video record, or otherwise capture any image or audio recording of another person or persons on any school property, on school vehicles, or at any school-sponsored event.”
Smith said that there was a time where educators believed that cell phones could be useful tools for instruction.
“But now, there’s really no educational function that they can serve that a Chromebook can’t handle,” he said. “In today’s environment, I don’t see a need for using cell phones to educate our students.”
Youngkin also announced that the VDOE and the Department of Behavioral Health and Development Services will make a combined $500,000 available from existing funds to support implementation of this initiative.
A study published in The American Psychological Association this past April showed that United States teenagers spend an average of 4.8 hours per day on social media apps. Of the teens with the highest social media use, 41% rate their overall mental health as poor or very poor, compared with 23% of those with the lowest use.
“Cell phones and digital media have caused pre-teens and teens to disconnect from the real world, have increased mental health challenges, and have caused significant disruption in the important daily learning opportunities in their classrooms,” Superintendent of Public Instruction Lisa Coons said in the release. “Parents and teachers understand the importance of creating cell phone-free education in our schools so that students can focus on instruction and learning during the school day.”
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— Patrick Hite is a reporter at The News Leader. Story ideas and tips always welcome. Connect with Patrick (he/him/his) at phite@newsleader.com and on Instagram @hitepatrick. Subscribe to us at newsleader.com
This article originally appeared on Staunton News Leader: Gov. Youngkin looking to reduce or eliminate cell phone usage in schools
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