PRINCE WILLIAM COUNTY, VA — Stricter cell phone guidelines during the school are planned for the next school year after action by the Prince William County School Board Wednesday night.
The school board voted to adopt option three of the cell phone-free policy options, effective Aug. 1, 2025. The policy says elementary school students’ cell phones and devices must be turned off and stored during school hours, including on field trips. There is an exception on school transportation. For middle and high school students, cell phones and devices must be turned off throughout the school day, from the tardy bell to dismissal. The policy applies to field trips. Students may use cell phones before and after school hours.
Exceptions to cell phone guidelines may be provided for students with Section 504 plans or IEPs, students with health, safety and support plans, and for access to school and school-sponsored activities.
The action comes after a majority of school board members expressed support for bell-to-bell cell phone restrictions during the entire school day at all school levels.
“I truly believe cell phones are a barrier to one’s potential,” said Dr. Babur Lateef, chairman of the Prince William County School Board, at the meeting. “The research has shown that this tethering to a phone is disruptive to learning. Students’ minds should be focused on the lessons in front of them and not on the distractions in their pockets.”
Prince William County Public Schools already has a pilot program at 33 schools to restrict cell phone use during instructional times. The school district will keep its existing cell phone restrictions in place for the remainder of the school year.
The other two cell phone-free options considered by the school board would have implemented restrictions on Jan. 1, 2025, which is the deadline for statewide cell phone guidelines resulting from Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s executive order.
The option one policy had called for middle schoolers’ devices to be off from the tardy bell to dismissal bell but allowed after school and on buses. For high school students, the policy called for silencing and storing devices during instructional times but allowing them during lunch and in hallway passing periods.
Option two had proposed middle and high schoolers keep devices silenced and stored during instructional times but allowing them during lunch and hallway passing periods.
The policy for elementary school students was the same for all three options.
Families will hear more about the new cell phone-free policy from the school district and individual schools.
