As we are all aware, Governor Youngkin issued Executive Order 33 that will be going into effect on January 1, 2025. Under this order, school divisions in Virginia public schools (K-12) have been forced to modify their current cell phone policies according to The Guidance for Cell Phone-Free Education developed by the Virginia Department of Education. 

While Governor Youngkin's intentions behind issuing this order are in the best interest of all students to improve focus and reduce distractions in schools, the blanket approach developed by the Virginia Department of Education does not consider all angles and is inequitable, specifically for us high school students.

During the "bell-to-bell" school day, it treats students in high school the very same as elementary and middle school students, having an absolute ban on phones and other devices during the entirety of the day, including lunches and class transition periods. It is important to point out that these are non-instructional times. 

The Guidance for Cell Phone-Free Education justifies the ban even during non-instructional periods by stating:                                                                                                                                          

"... research shows [students] [sic] receive more than 200 notifications a day on their smartphones and two-thirds of U.S. students report being distracted by using digital devices.”

This reasoning is flawed and misleading. The claim from the study stating, “two-thirds of U.S. students report being distracted by using digital devices,” leaves out the end of the sentence: “in at least some Maths lessons.” Leaving out the end of this sentence is very deceptive, not only because the study is only referring to one class, but also because they are using information about distractions during instructional periods to justify banning them during non-instructional ones.

Setting this aside, as high school students, we are held to higher standards—and rightfully so. We are expected to be more mature and have more responsibility than middle and elementary school students, as evident by our higher workloads and increased freedoms outside of school, like being able to drive and get jobs. Yet, this order treats us the very same as elementary school students, suppressing our sense of independence and responsibility.

Additionally, cell phones help us high school students stay connected with family and friends and manage our jobs and extracurricular commitments (sports, clubs, etc.).

Because of these reasons, I believe that at the very least, we should be able to use our phones during non-instructional periods like lunches and during class transitions. This would not hinder our focus during instructional time. It would support our need to balance personal, academic, and extracurricular responsibilities and acknowledge the maturity and freedom that we are striving to develop as students in high school.

Talking with my peers, it seems that we are all in agreement. I am voicing my opinion to hopefully encourage this order to be modified for Virginia high schools. 

By signing this petition, you join the effort for fairness and help spread the word to convince Virginia state legislators, the Virginia Department of Education, and the Office of the Governor to make changes.
 

Thank you,

- J. Alx