FCPS has responded to the Virginia cell phone law, following state legislation. In a school board meeting on May 8, members passed a motion to allow high school students to use cell phones only during lunch, restricting use during passing periods for the 2025-26 school year. The motion to implement a bell-to-bell phone policy failed.

Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin’s Executive Order 33 beginning Jan. 1, declares that students must turn off their phones and keep them stored away all day, including during lunch and between class periods. FCPS did not fully implement this policy during the 2024-25 school year, and instead allowed cell phone use during passing periods and lunch.

“I do not believe that we should be treating kindergartners the same as we do seniors,” Sandy Anderson of Springfield District said during the May 8 school board meeting. “I still believe that our existing policy is the best approach to give our high school students the chance to learn how to appropriately navigate the use of technology, which will likely be an important aspect of their lives moving forward.”

According to The U.S. Surgeons General Advisory, social media use, especially among children and adolescents, has been linked to various mental health issues, such as depression, anxiety, sleep problems and cognitive decline. While smartphones can support learning, excessive use affects students’ well-being. 

“Our kids are suffering under the weight of addictive technology, social isolation, lack of connection and insurmountable distraction,” community participant Mary Beth Bruggeman said during the May 8 school board meeting. “We can limit that suffering at least during the seven hours that our kids are in school with a tidal wave of school districts nationwide opting to implement full day bans. It defies reason that Fairfax County would choose to lag on adoption and implementation of such a critical and bipartisan policy.”

On May 8, the Fairfax County School Board voted on a motion to restrict cell phone use from the first bell to the last bell. The motion failed, with three members voting in favor of the restriction, and nine members opposing it. Seema Dixit of Sully District voted against the motion.

“We’re not talking about unfettered access, we’re talking 25 to 30 minutes a day for high school kids, that’s it,” at-large member Kyle McDaniel said during the May 8 school board meeting. “If we need to fix it next year because of legalese reasons, we can do that.”

Anderson started the next motion with page 17 of the proposed Student Rights and Responsibilities (SR&R) regulation related to high schoolers cell phone use saying the following: Cell phone use is restricted, and cell phones may be only used on campus before the first bell, after the last bell and during lunch. 

“The new Virginia law has disrupted the strong work that we had been doing,” Anderson said. “The confusion is that many of us had conversations with the lawmakers when they brought the bill for consideration, and understood that the intent was to allow FCPS to continue the approach we were already taking to eliminate the cell phone use during instruction.”

The school board approved this amendment to the SR&R regulation, allowing high school students to use cell phones during lunch. The motion passed with support from nine members, and three members opposing it. Mateo Dunne of Mount Vernon District further emphasizes the benefits of adopting a bell-to-bell ban on cell phones for colleagues to reject the motion.

“We know that cell phones cause more fights,” Dunne said. “When cell phones were taken away at Edison, fights dropped from 88 [%] to 22 [%], an incredible decrease. Same for vaping, drugs and for all kinds of things, dropped by just taking away cell phones. I ask my colleagues to prioritize student safety and security, student mental health, student well being and adopt a bell-to-bell ban on cell phones and reject this amendment.”

Assistant principal Zach Winfrey stated that CHS will work with the district over the summer to determine how the new, stricter cell phone policy will look like for the 2025-26 school year.