ROANOKE COUNTY, Va. – Classroom controversies are brewing as the Roanoke County School Board pushes for new cell phone policies. With just a couple of days left before school starts, the time is ticking to make a decision.
Stricter cell phone policies could be the future for Roanoke County high schoolers as they step into the classroom this week.
[RELATED: New cell phone policies in local school systems]
It’s a push following Governor Glenn Youngkin’s executive order for schools to adopt policies for cellphone-free education.
“And I would just argue that I’m not sure that taking the phone away for 30 minutes really gets to the problem. We all know there are big problems with the phones, but it’s not just using the phone, it’s social media, and we can’t control all of that, and I’m not sure it’s our job to do that. A lot of this is a parent-child discussion,” said Roanoke County School Board member Shelly Clemons.
The Roanoke County school board’s recent survey laid out three different options, which include:
- No changes to their current policy
- No cellphone use during class time
- No devices during the entire school day
“If learning is the bottom line, it’s a no-brainer. If that were truly the ultimate goal, we would do option three,” said Roanoke County School Board member Tim Greenway.
According to a survey, 36% of parents want to keep the current policy, 33% want to ban phones during class time and 29% want to ban phones all day.
Students also got to chime in, with 81% not wanting to change the policy.
“The students have little to no self-awareness when it comes to their addiction issues. I mean, it’s just crazy, and honestly, that’s a sad denial,” said Cheryl Facciani, a Roanoke County School Board member.
Parents were also asked about their worries regarding phones and their students’ mental health.
More than 75% said they were concerned.
“There’s no such thing as getting this perfect, right? But if we can make some baby steps, at least get it into a policy mode, maybe look at trying to standardize these consequences,” Roanoke County Superintendent Ken Nicely said.
The Roanoke County School Board is holding a special meeting Tuesday night to vote on the policy.