By now you are probably well acquainted with the cell phone policy. But did you know that there will be an update to it? Starting January 1, 2025, there will be a phone policy that will restrict cell phone use in Virginia schools even further. Under Executive Order 33 by Governor Glenn Youngkin, students will still have to put away their cellphones during class. This updated policy now goes even further, requiring students to store their phones in a designated area between classes and at lunch.
Governor Youngkin’s Executive Order 33 is aimed to create a cell phone-free education environment in Virginia’s high schools with the goal to promote a better learning environment by reducing distractions. Students will be required to follow the school’s specific policy to store their phones in a designated area – phone pouches or lockers – during all hours of the school day including during class, between classes, and at lunch. Where we put our phones will be decided by each county or school. While the policy is being used to reduce distraction, the policy still allows for students to communicate with parents for essential things. This order is used as an effort to address the poor academic performance and the mental health concerns that arise from excessive use of phones. The Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) released a final version of the guidelines on September 16, 2024 with schools having to fully implement the policy by January 1, 2025.
A lot of students already dislike the current phone policy with junior Samir Peoples saying, “I hate it… they want a nice, safe learning environment with kids without their phones. But at the same time, if you don’t have your phone… What if there’s an emergency? I feel like we should have our phones at all times…” There are a lot of misconceptions surrounding the phone policy. Some people do not know about the policy such as junior Tyler Craft who said, “I mean, I just learned that there’s gonna be a policy, so I don’t know much about it.” On the other hand those who do know about the phone policy seem to not know the full details of the policy. For example, Peoples commented, “It’s that Loudoun county is trying to take drastic measures for students to not be allowed to use their phones, especially in the classroom. And you know it could escalate into something worse.”
This change will be an important change in our daily lives. Some of us use our phones to stay in touch with our family and friends throughout the day to receive important updates. For some of us not being able to use our phones can be frustrating but it can also allow us to have more in person interactions during breaks.
As the January 1 deadline is fast approaching, the Virginia cell phone policy will greatly affect us as high school students. While the policy is aimed at creating a distraction free learning environment, it will alter the way we communicate with each other during school hours. Whatever your stance is on the phone policy it is important to make sure that you know what the policy will entail in your daily school life.
