Roanoke County School Board Considers Changes to Its Mobile Device Policy

ROANOKE COUNTY, VA – The Roanoke County School Board is conducting a survey to decide if it should change its mobile device policy.

Roanoke County Public Schools’ current policy is that elementary, middle and high school students may have a mobile device as long as the device is turned off or in airplane mode throughout the day. There are exceptions for high school students, such as a teacher allowing it to be used for educational purposes or for use during lunch and in the hallways.

Last Tuesday, Governor Youngkin announced Executive Order 33, which asked the Virginia Department of Education to develop guidelines for public school districts to adopt local policies and procedures to establish cellphone-free education. Governor Youngkin cited CDC research that highlighted the physical and mental health issues faced by children who use social media excessively.

The school board is considering three possible policy options:

• No changes – we maintain current policy.

• In secondary schools, all use of personal mobile devices should be banned during classes, but their use should still be allowed between classes and during lunch breaks.

• The rules in place in primary and secondary schools should be mirrored – secondary school students will not be allowed to use mobile devices throughout the school day.

The school district will also ban the use of social media sites on school-provided laptops, both at home and in the classroom.

“As a recent CDC study shows, persistent social media use is clearly linked to rising suicide rates among students nationwide. We will take every measure possible to protect our students and help them become opportunity-ready.”

Dr. Nicely, Superintendent of Roanoke County Public Schools

The school board asked parents, high school students and high school staff to complete a short survey about their views on the issue. The survey and other information about the school board’s policy can be found here.