Listening sessions on cellphone bans in schools begins in Manassas

MANASSAS, Va. — It's one of the few issues lately that has people on both sides of the aisle agreeing: taking away cellphones from students in school. Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin signed an executive order last week for this to happen in Virginia K-12 public schools. 

It's music to some parents' ears already, but there are some concerns. That's why there will eight listening sessions for parents and those involved to give input and raise concerns.  Thursday's session is happening at Osbourn High School from 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Executive Order 33 requires the State Department of Education to set guidelines for restricting phones by fall, with implementation planned for Jan. 1, 2025. Part of the push to ban cellphones across several states now is to mitigate mental health issues from cellphone addiction, anxiety and depression — particularly on popular social media platforms. It also keeps teachers from having to monitor kids for phones and focus on instruction. 

But one thing to note: The National Parents Union did a survey in February with 1,500 parents; 56% said they believe students should sometimes be allowed to use their cellphones in school, during times like lunch or recess, with reasonable limits. 

WUSA9 asked Virginia's Superintendent of Public Instruction Lisa Coons about the new restriction and what happens during an emergency.

"We are working with school safety personnel, we are working with safety experts nationally, and talking through a policy that keeps their children safe through the entire emergency and also ensures that they can communicate with their families when they are safe.  So we want to make sure the cellphone is not a distraction during the emergency and we can get them through the emergency safely, and we want to make sure we're honoring parents needs to make sure they're in contact with their child," Lisa Coons, Virginia Superintendent of Public Instruction said.

The order discusses possible storage of cellphones, but was not specific.

Following the sessions, there will be a draft guidance posted in August, where they'll look for feedback and have a finalized version by Sept. 15. Local schools then need to incorporate and deliver their policies for January 1.