Finn Johnson

Glenn Youngkin’s 33rd executive order will require schools to implement policies restricting student use of cellphones throughout the school day.

Youngkin’s executive order 33 will ban cell phones across all Virginia schools. There are no exceptions including lunch or passing periods. Students may use their phones before the first bell rings, but once the first period starts all phones must be tucked away inside everyone’s backpacks; they cannot be on a student’s person, for example in pockets. Several school divisions in the Commonwealth have already enforced the cell phone ban and guidance from the Virginia Department of Education will benefit everyone from students to educators, according to Executive Order 33.

“This guidance will ensure K-12 Virginia students have a distraction-free environment to focus on learning and reduce the alarming mental health crisis and chronic health conditions from cell phones and social media affecting Virginia students,” a Virginia Education Department official told NBC news.

Parents and students are worried about this new law being enforced because some students have special medical issues that require apps to track their illness. The VDOE took these concerns into account, allowing students with medical issues to get a medical exemption allowing them to use their phones.

Ms. Welch, West Po’s public health nurse, said “If you have a documented health problem, you will be allowed to have your cell phone. There are students with diabetes that need their phone to track their blood glucose. If you have a health problem, we are always available.”

Some schools in Fairfax county, including Edison, Falls Church, McLean, and Robinson have started enforcing magnetic pouches for students to keep their phones in for the duration of the school day. Not all schools in Fairfax County have added this cell phone storage system because it’s expensive to supply one school with them. West Po does not have the pouches, but students are not supposed to have phones out in class. It is unclear how the rule will be implemented in the hallways come Jan. 1 without the pouches. With the chance of these pouches being implemented, communication will no longer be as direct. Still, parents can communicate with their child via the office.

Mr. O’Grady, English teacher said, “There are situations where’ll need to contact my kids [his children are FCPS at other schools], but I don’t feel like I’ll need to communicate with them directly. I can email the teacher and call my kid to the office and they’ll get the message. There are other states and districts that have done this already, and if you look at the research, all of that says yes, this is going to work.”

Across Virginia, if students are caught with their phones out, there are consequences ranging from being forced to put it away, or having it confiscated for a day. At some schools, if a student has repeated offenses, the consequences can result in an in-school or out of school suspension.

At this point in time, administrators aren’t certain what the consequences will be here at West Po. 

Repeated attempts to contact the FCPS media relations staff didn’t yield any specific information to date.

This story will be updated when new information is available.