Virginia’s plans to implement Governor Glenn Youngkin’s cellphone-free classroom executive order require public school students to turn off their phones and put them away throughout the day – even during lunch and between classes.

The Virginia Department of Education released draft guidelines Thursday as part of the cellphone-free classroom executive order issued by Youngkin in July.

With his order, the Republican governor directed the VDOE to define the term cell phone-free instruction and to develop policies and procedures for age-appropriate restrictions in grades K-12.

In its draft guidelines, the VDOE defines cell phone-free instruction as “from bell to bell,” which means that cell phones must be turned off and stowed away from the first bell of the school day until the final bell at the end of the school day. According to the VDOE, “VDOE” also includes lunch and the time between classes.

The proposed guidelines set the following restrictions for elementary, middle and high school students:

• Basic level: If a parent decides that an elementary student must bring a cell phone or personal electronic communications device to school, it must be put away and kept away from the student during the school day. Students are not permitted to use it on school property before or after school.
• Middle School Students should not have easily accessible cell phones or personal electronic communication devices during the school day. School systems should create local policies to determine whether or not students are allowed to use phones and devices on school property before and after class.
• Secondary school Students should not have easily accessible cell phones or personal electronic communication devices during the school day. Students may use their cell phones on school property before and after school.

“This draft policy is the result of Virginians coming together and saying ‘enough,'” Education Secretary Aimee Rogstad Guidera said in a press release. “Parents and teachers in Virginia have witnessed firsthand the damage that cell phones in schools have done to the academic, mental and physical health and social development of our youth. Communities are committed to implementing common-sense approaches to restore vibrant and healthy learning environments for all of our children across the state.”

Hundreds of parents, teachers, school inspectors, principals, students and community members voiced their opinions in advance of the VDOE’s guidelines, officials said.

“The extensive feedback we received from Virginians was clear and direct,” Lisa Coons, superintendent of public education, said in the release. “They requested that cell phones and personal electronic communication devices be removed from our children’s public schools at all levels – elementary, middle and high school – during the school day. By refocusing our students’ attention on learning and away from their phones and social media, all of our children will have better opportunities to learn and succeed academically.”

According to VDOE, in emergency situations, local school districts must develop plans to communicate directly with parents and create reunification plans for children and parents.

In their feedback to the state, parents made it clear that they wanted to be informed about the well-being of their students in the event of an emergency, the Ministry of Education said.

There were also concerns about students with documented medical conditions. The VDOE said students with medical needs may be granted exemptions from the bell-to-bell rule.

The public will have the opportunity to express their opinion on the guidelines before the VDOE issues its final guideline on September 16.

The new guidelines will come into force on 1 January 2025.