The state Education Department is asking schools to ban cellphone use for the entire day, in new guidance that aims to improve student focus, social interaction and mental health. The document, released Tuesday, follows a similar draft that came out in August and follows feedback from thousands of Virginians that the state said “reinforced the importance” of banning student phone use during the “bell to bell” school day. The final version includes new information about best practices for communicating with families during emergency situations, an addition that responds to repeated concerns from parents about school safety.“This guidance from the Virginia Department of Education is an important step towards creating a healthier learning environment where students can receive a quality education free from harmful distractions,” Gov. Glenn Youngkin said in a statement Tuesday, adding that he appreciated the feedback received from parents, students, educators and administrators.The guidance is more strict than the current policies at many school divisions. It bans student use for the entire school day, covering all instructional periods as well as lunch and free time between classes. High school students may use their phones on school grounds before or after the school day. Elementary school students who bring phones to school cannot use them on school grounds, but middle school students may be able to use their phones before or after school depending on the policy the local school division sets.It’s up to local divisions to decide whether students can carry their phones in their backpacks during the day, or whether they need to be stored in a locker or magnetic pouch like those recently adopted by Danville schools. Local school divisions should implement the guidance by Jan. 1, 2025, according to the state.Safety top of mind in final cellphone guidanceThe final guidance comes less than two weeks after a school shooter in Georgia killed four people on Sept. 4. Many school divisions have dealt with threats and lockdowns in the days since, with some temporarily closing schools that have been named in threats circulating on social media.The new state guidance advises divisions to create clear policy about whether students can access their phones during a school emergency, and it recommends that local divisions strengthen communication lines with families.“It became very apparent there are general gaps in parent, teacher and school communication resulting in parents feeling like they must communicate directly with their child for both emergency and non-emergency situations,” the state’s announcement said. “Specifically, concerns focused on the ability for a parent to contact their child in a school-based emergency, including during or immediately after lockdowns.” The guidance document now includes a 15-page appendix on managing school-based emergencies, and the state will establish a task force to help schools enhance their emergency communications. The appendix includes communication templates based on real examples from a handful of school divisions, including two from Washington County Public Schools, which has reported several social media threats over the past two weeks. In one instance, four schools were named in a potential threat, said Superintendent Keith Perrigan. Parents and guardians of students at those schools were notified by school app, phone call, text message, email and school social media. At the division’s remaining 12 schools, parents received the same information, but via fewer avenues. Some parents have said that they want notifications on every platform regardless of which school is affected by a potential threat, Perrigan said. But it’s a delicate balance between being transparent and feeding panic. “We have to be ready to communicate efficiently, effectively and timely to make sure parents are getting the right information,” he said. Parent communication becomes even more important if student access to cellphones is limited: Official communication to parents must be distributed as soon as possible once immediate safety is addressed, Perrigan said. Cellphone policy implementation in hands of localitiesThe state’s recommendations are the result of an executive order Youngkin signed in July that directed the education department to assemble guidelines for “cell-phone free education,” citing a need to “promote the health and safety” of K-12 students in the commonwealth.Lisa Coons, the state’s superintendent of public instruction, traveled Virginia over the summer, hosting 21 listening sessions before the state released draft guidance in August. Other than the school safety appendix, the final document released Tuesday does not substantially differ from the August draft.The news release from the state Tuesday noted that the education department received nearly 6,000 public comments between July and Sept. 15 about student cellphone use at school and the proposed guidance for local phone policies. Common themes in that feedback included accommodating students who use a mobile device to monitor medical conditions, students asking to use their phones during lunch, and parent safety concerns, the state’s press release said.The guidance specifies that children with an Individualized Education Plan, 504 plan accommodations or Individual Health Care Plan may be granted an exception to use their phone during the day for their health monitoring or related needs but advises that “alternatives to using a cellphone … should be explored.”Under the state guidance, which bills itself as the minimum acceptable policy for school cellphone use, local school divisions must adopt cellphone restrictions by Jan. 1. The state release says that divisions “may adopt policies that are more comprehensive than the guidance.” This week, the state will issue an Administrator’s Toolkit “to support school leaders’ implementation of their local policies.”But it’s not up to administrators to create policies. That will be left to each division’s school board. “It’s not a given that the school board will further change our policy,” said Roanoke County schools superintendent Ken Nicely, noting that current policies can vary widely by school division. “Absent a state law, it’s up to local school boards.”The Department of Education did not respond to a message Tuesday asking about consequences for divisions that don’t match their local policies with the state guidance. Roanoke County updated its cellphone policy in August. Previously, high school students could use mobile devices in classrooms at each teacher’s discretion; the new policy bans cellphones during class but allows students to use their phones between classes and during lunch. Middle and elementary students can’t use their phones at all during the school day. The new policy is similar to the rules Washington County has had in place for about eight years.Nicely said recent conversations he’s had with high school and middle school teachers indicate that the policy change in Roanoke County is going well. “Kids will adapt. Most kids want to comply when they know what the rules are,” he said.Now that high schoolers can’t use their phones during study hall, a few students have opted to sign up for an elective instead. “The conversation’s really important,” he said of ongoing research and discussion around cellphone use for adolescents. Changing habits will take a cultural shift, not just a change in school rules. “It’s not just a school problem. It’s a challenge for parents to manage, too,” he said. Similar discussions are happening in Washington County, which recently surveyed teachers, parents and high school students about cellphone policies and about safety and mental health considerations. Perrigan said it may be difficult for school boards to consider legitimate stakeholder concerns alongside the “must” statements in the state guidance. “We all want to help our students improve their mental health,” he said. “We’ll find a way to get there.”The post State issues final guidance for school cellphone ban appeared first on Cardinal News.