As Arlington Public Schools introduces new restrictions on student cell phone use at the start of the school year, students at four district schools are getting a glimpse of what may be in store for all students.
The school system will launch a pilot cell phone storage program beginning in mid-September at Wakefield High School, Swanson and Thomas Jefferson middle schools, and at the middle school level in the HB Woodlawn Secondary Program.
The concept — having students put their cell phones in bags at the beginning of the school day and open them at the end — was outlined at a recent school board meeting. School system officials say the logistics have yet to be finalized.
While the four schools participate in the pilot, all Arlington public schools will be subject to new phone access restrictions that Superintendent Francisco Durán approved earlier this month as a stopgap measure pending the school board’s adoption of final rules at the end of the year.
The new rules: Arlington students must put their phones away throughout the school day in elementary and middle school and during classes in high school. There are some exceptions, including for students who need an electronic device because of a disability or medical condition.
The efforts at the local level run parallel to the comprehensive changes planned nationwide regarding student telephone accessibility.
At the direction of Governor Youngkin, the Virginia Department of Education released draft device usage requirements on August 18. Final guidelines are expected to be sent out in September and implemented in Virginia’s 132 school districts by the end of 2024.
The rules Durán enacted for Arlington students largely match draft state rules, although Arlington’s new rules at the high school level are slightly less stringent than the statewide proposal.
