HENRICO, Va. (WWBT) – Henrico’s school division is looking to make the next move during a school board work session Thursday afternoon.
School leaders proposed a stricter cell phone policy for middle and high school students.
“The school board has been having a discussion since this time last year,” Superintendent Amy Cashwell said. “They are really looking at what they can do as a board to make sure their policies can set up the best learning and teaching environment in our schools,” Cashwell said.
If approved by the board, the new policy would require secondary students to put their phones away for the entire day.
This includes while they are at lunch and changing classes.
The policy does align with Governor Youngkin’s executive order on cell phone-free education in K-12 schools, which he implemented last summer.
“It does align with the state guidelines, but it’s been a part of the board’s direction since this time last year,” Cashwell said.
She adds that at the beginning of this current school year, the school division implemented a limited cell phone use policy.
Currently, students are not allowed to use their phones during class; instead, they are placed in lockboxes until the end of the class.
“Again, throughout the year, we saw that really successful hearing stories about students more engaged in learning,” said Cashwell. “Teachers feeling like students were talking to one another.“
According to data presented at the work session, 80% of secondary teachers who responded to the survey reported that student engagement increased, with only 39% of teachers saying they’ve had issues with students using them during class or assessments.
“We asked all kinds of stakeholder groups this year before we made any revised changes for next year,” Cashwell said.
One thing to note is that if the board approves the tighter rule, there are some exceptions.
“Some students may have a medical reason they are monitoring a medical device through an app on their phone, or some very specific scenario,” said Cashwell. ”Our schools are prepared and were throughout the school year to assist families who may need a medical exception.“
The school board is expected to vote on this measure sometime this spring.
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