At this point in the school year, students are in the habit of walking up to the front of the class and putting their phone in a little numbered pocket, so it’s out of reach. After class, they get it back and repeat for the next one. This is the new cell phone policy, and according to the governor, we’d better get used to it.

On Jul. 9, Governor Glenn Youngkin signed Executive Order 33, which aims to eliminate–or at least reduce–cell phone use in K-12 schools. On Sept. 17, the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) released its final guidance on cell phone policies describing the new “bell-to-bell” policy. This policy states that students will be unable to use their phones from the time the first bell rings to when the last bell rings including during passing periods, lunch and in our case, Warhawk Time. This change is expected to start on Jan. 1, 2025. The main goal of these new policies is to reduce distractions and harmful side effects of students using their phones during the school day. According to the VDOE, by doing this, students would be able to learn and focus better as well as be more engaged in their peers and school community. Teachers say they have seen the impact of these goals being achieved in class and that the cell phone policy is a good improvement. 

“The feedback from teachers is that students are having conversations with other students more, especially those that they might not otherwise talk to because they don’t already know them,” JMHS counselor Nicolas LaLone said. ”So overall the benefit has definitely been positive.” 

While almost all teachers are in favor of the cell phone policy, the feedback from students is on the opposite end of the spectrum. 

“The cell phone policy is only helpful for a very specific group of people,” Megan Adelberger (’25) said. “It’s only going to help the people who care about school and want to be focused but who don’t have the self control to stay away from their phone.” 

Adelberger also said that the policy is inconvenient and annoying to everyone else, an opinion that many students share. 

When surveyed, students believe that the cell phone policy is hindering their learning, as they can’t put in headphones and listen to music during individual work time. Additionally, it has affected the way in which classes operate. For example, art classes have shifted from using their phones to take pictures for their portfolios and instead use small digital cameras and manually upload the photos to their drives. These have been inefficient as there is a limited amount of them, and it would be expensive to purchase more. Other classes have had similar struggles.

“These newly implemented rules put more burden on teachers, take time out of class and are frankly, ineffective,” Keira Mendis (’27) said. “The outside world won’t have phone rules and restrictions, so why not prepare students for the harsh reality of higher education and careers?…The governor is prioritizing simple phone rules over the safety of our students.”

Mendis said that students should be allowed to have phones because of increasing violence and drug use in schools. Not having access to one’s phone during an emergency could become a safety issue. According to the Pew Research Center, 74% of Americans who own them have used their hand-held mobile phone in an emergency and gained valuable help. 

“It’s made me more addicted to my phone at home and makes me feel less secure when I don’t have it with me,” Liv Sperling (’27) said. “I prefer to just have it with me without using it.” 

When surveyed, students have said that they feel like they are on their phones much more during lunch, Warhawk Time and passing periods because they don’t have them in class.  They’ve also said that by cutting off phone usage at school, the place where students often spend most of their time, screen time increases when students are at home, sports, or extracurriculars because they feel the need to be on them. 50% of teens feel like they are addicted to their phones according to a CNN poll. 

Because we’re only a few months into the implementation of the cell phone policy and students and teachers are still adjusting to it, there’s no way of telling whether the full impact is positive or negative. It’s likely that the cell phone policy we have now will not be the same in the coming years, and it will be constantly evolving to adapt to the challenges of the digital age. Ultimately, the implementation of the cell phone policy has raised many questions about education and the use of technology as we go into a more technologically advanced and dependent future. These questions will only continue as technology advances. However, we can find some consolation in the fact that we will shape our future and be the generation that answers all of these questions.