ROANOKE COUNTY, Va. – Members of the Virginia Department of Education stopped in Roanoke County on Wednesday to hear from stakeholders about what a cell phone-free education can look like.
As part of Gov. Younkgin’s Executive Order 33, which asks school boards across the commonwealth to implement new policies regarding cell phones in classrooms, the Virginia Department of Education is touring around the state to hear from parents, students and educators.
Lisa Coons, Virginia’s Superintendent for Public Instruction, was on her fifth listening session when stopping in the Roanoke Valley.
“We are excited to know what it means to families, what’s important, what do we prioritize, what do we need to be thinking about as we work towards our August 15th deadline for drafting guidance,” Coons said.
In each listening session, something new has come up, according to Coons. At Wednesday’s session, a bus driver was there to talk about looking at restrictions before and after school as well.
One common thing between all the listening sessions is the desire from parents and educators to do something about cell phones in the classroom.
The executive order was signed after research showed a decline in mental health and an increase in anxiety for students, especially following the COVID-19 pandemic.
One parent at Wednesday’s session talked about her daughter being bullied through technology.
“It’s bad. It was a picture taken in school and passed around. Once it’s out there, it’s out there. She didn’t want to go back to school,” the parent said.
10 News asked Dr. Coons about challenges outside the classroom and if the problem would persist even if a cell phone-free education were implemented.
“What we do know is the school is a hub, a place for learning and an opportunity to build those conversations with students around screen time around what it means to do that. We also need to support our families,” Coons said.
Teachers from all over the region attended the listening session to talk about the challenges with implementing and enforcing cell phone restrictions.
Jennifer Hatch is a teacher at Benjamin Franklin Middle School in Franklin County. She would like to see something implemented sooner rather than later.
“When you hear the research, you want to get it out of these children’s hands because this is a crisis,” Hatch said.
The Virginia Department of Education will release its draft policy on Aug. 15 and release a more permanent one a month later.
School boards across the Commonwealth have already started implementing new policies and some are still waiting to see what comes from the department.
“We are offering statewide guidance. That guidance is the floor and expectation for school boards to look at as the minimum protocols for their own local policies. They can definitely implement something more enforceful and more rigorous,” Coons said.
School boards have until Jan. 1 to implement policies that meet the minimum restrictions.