By Matt de Simone
The Botetourt County School Board went over the first reading of a new cell phone policy in Botetourt County schools at last week’s meeting. Governor Glenn Youngkin authorized “Executive Order 33” earlier this year to establish “cell phone-free education to promote the health and safety of Virginia’s K-12 students.”
The draft, which is included in the November meeting’s agenda packet (go.boarddocs.com/vsba/bcps/Board.nsf/Public), explains the Botetourt County Public Schools (BCPS) policy in detail. According to the draft, the policy sets guidelines for managing personal devices to prevent distractions during instructional hours. It promotes focused, respectful, and safe learning environments across all Botetourt County schools. The policy governs the use of cell phones, smart devices, and any other personal electronic devices and provides clear expectations for the storage, use, and management of cell phones and similar devices within school settings.
The policy goes on to say that student use of personal devices include will be limited to non-instructional times before the start of school and after dismissal. Devices may also be used during lunch and recess periods in designated areas determined by school administration. Phone use will be prohibited during standardized testing periods and other assessments in accordance with the state’s testing security requirements.
School Superintendent Dr. Jonathan Russ added that over the next month, if no changes are made, the board will vote on the policy next month. An agreed-on policy must be implemented in BCPS by January 2025.
Valley District representative Tim Davidick explained that the policy was developed following the department seeking input from a committee of “parents from across the state.” Russ added Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) provided “listening tours” and received thousands of comments that were in favor of enforcing a “bell-to-bell” no-cell phone policy but wasn’t sure of the percentage who responded in favor and those who were not.
Davidick asked about why BCPS’s proposed policy would allow times for students to use their phones at specific times when other divisions have implemented more strict policies during the school day, noting that some BCPS parents he’s spoke with are for this new cell phone policy to go bell-to-bell, with no exceptions.
Notably, this cell phone policy is one that could go ignored by the school system as pointed out by Davidick, who would later say, “This is a local policy… We could ignore this altogether. There’s no funding attached to it. So, really, what we’re doing is making a decision on (BCPS’s) policy. (VDOE) has given us some bright lines. I think we should adhere to those bright lines.”
School Board Chair Anna Weddle added that she’s heard a positive, “overwhelming response” about the proposed policy’s “flexibility to have (access to phone use at) lunch and in hallways.”
Fincastle School Board representative Dana McCaleb shared concerns about the policy’s flexibility and wanting a revision to the current proposed policy about cell phone usage during those non-instructional times. “I’m against that non-instructional time being allowed,” McCaleb said. “I agree with the bell-to-bell policy. I think (cell phones) are an addiction for our students.”
McCaleb explained that the proposed policy could be harder to enforce if students are allowed to use phones during specific times as opposed to the phones being put away once the first bell rings to start the day until the final bell.
“I have some problems with how this policy is written based on the final guidance from the VDOE,” McCaleb continued. “The final guidance doesn’t really match what our policy is stating.”
McCaleb suggested taking out the “non-instructional time” piece of the policy along with the piece in the draft where teachers would allow students to use their phones “for educational purposes.”
Weddle gave an example to McCaleb of why “educational” exceptions could be made in the instance where a high school’s creative writing class could use a camera on a cell phone to record a short film based on a script written in class. McCaleb understood that exception and still felt that changes in BCPS’s policy could be re-written to better define “educational purposes” when students could use their phones in between that “bell-to-bell” period.
Russ shared with the board that they’ll continue to discuss the policy and bring it back as is, or amended, as an action item at the December 12 meeting.
To watch the November 14 meeting of the School Board, visit bcps.live/archives.
