Virginia Beach City Public Schools (VBCPS) plans to implement a new “bell-to-bell” cellphone policy following Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s Executive Order 33 and the subsequent recommendation from the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE).
Youngkin’s executive order, which went into effect July 9, 2024, outlined guidelines for “cellphone-free education policies and procedures” to be adopted in school systems throughout the state by Jan. 1, 2025.
The VDOE followed up on Executive Order 33 by issuing its final guidance for a “bell-to-bell” cellphone policy. “Bell-to-bell” means that cellphones must be turned off and stored away from the first bell at the beginning of the day to the final bell at the end of the day.
This differs from VBCPS’ current policy, which allows high school students to use their cellphones between blocks and during lunch.
“I want to give full transparency,” VBCPS Superintendent Dr. Donald Robertson said in a press conference with The Current. “We are in the planning stages [of VBCPS’ cellphone policy].”
During the press conference, Robertson also emphasized the school district’s commitment to follow the guidance of the state and the positive benefits for students associated with a “bell-to-bell” cellphone policy.
“Having an electronic device in a classroom setting presents a clear distraction away from the learning process,” Robertson said.
However, some parents and students express concerns regarding the restriction of cellphones during non-instructional time, often citing students’ health and personal safety.
“Parents are not going to think, if there’s an emergency, ‘Oh, I’ll call the school.’ They’re going to call you immediately,” senior Dechawn Baker said. “I’ve gotten important updates about things that I need to be timely with, and I’m expected to respond.”
Robertson recently held several informational meetings at three high schools across the district to discuss changes in the cellphone policy. During the session at Princess Anne High School, Robertson explained that under the new policy, students must go to the office in order to communicate with parents, and coaches will have to find new ways of communicating that do not involve cellphones.
Parents, similarly, will need to call the office to communicate with their child.
“We’re going old-school,” Robertson said. “You call the office, you let the school know what’s going on and then the school relays the message to the students.”
The school board will hold a workshop on Nov. 12, 2024, along with an additional meeting on Nov. 26, 2024, to gather feedback before the updated policy will go to a vote on Dec. 10, 2024.
“In terms of how they will direct us to implement [the new policy], we don’t know just yet,” Assistant Principal Amanda Malbon said. “We are bound to uphold school board policy, so we have to wait to see what the policy revision is going to say.”
Kayla • Nov 12, 2024 at 7:50 pm
If we’re supposedly going “old school” then why don’t should get rid of any and all technology at schools such as smartboards and chromebooks; we should only do our work on paper. How is it right for the government to take away our phone privileges if we’re not using it during class. I get so many are on their phone’s during class, but there is no need to punish everybody for their mistake. Since we are supposedly going “old school” and parents have to call the office in order to reach their kid/s. That’s just a waste of time. The office is going to call you down which takes away even more of you’re class time because you have to walk all the down to the office and then all the way back, or you get on the phone with them. It would be easier, and quicker, for parents to text their kid/s and say “hey, im going to be late getting home fom work, can you pick up you’re younger sibling/s from the bus stop and watch them until I get home?” All the kid has to respond with is “ok” or maybe 1 question like “Do you know how late you’re going to be?” But that’s it, that is a faster and easier way to communicate and there is no middle man.
Emerson Bell • Nov 25, 2024 at 10:52 am
I fully agree with this, the way this new policy is being written makes it seem like a split second decision. The fact the schools themselves are the ones that need to figure out how people are going to communicate in and out of the school, and not the state policy, backs up the fact that this is only for the sake of stopping phones being out in schools. It probably wont stop anyone from going on their phones, it’s a prohibition situation. Just because you aren’t supposed to doesn’t mean people won’t do it.