Fairfax County School Board considers cellphone restrictions for middle and high schools

The Fairfax County School Board approved a proposal to launch a pilot program for storing student cellphones during the school day.

“We have students in almost every classroom, middle school and above, on their phones all the time,” Board member Mateo Dunne said.

The proposal, which Board member Kyle McDaniel initiated to manage the situation, requires the superintendent to develop a pilot program for the secure storage of cellphones.

“Cellphone usage in our schools is rapidly becoming a critical issue, and we need options. And we need to know what those options are,” McDaniel said.

He said the responsibility to curb this problem currently belongs to teachers.

“I would kind of characterize it as the Wild West,” he said.

For high school students, the restrictions would still allow them to get their phones back after class.

This means students would still be able to use their phones in between classes, in the hallways, during lunch, and before and after school starts. According to the proposal, those with medical conditions would be exempt.

However, middle school students would not get their phones back until the end of the day, unless leaving for early dismissal.

The proposal also says that teachers, if desired, could allow students to keep their phones during class for instructional purposes.

Kaiser Permanente pediatrician Adrienne Collier said she sees children and adolescents becoming more sedentary and isolated because of excessive cellphone use.

“I absolutely think that having, particularly teenagers and adolescents, store their phones in a secure location when they come into the classroom is going to be beneficial to them educationally,” she said.

The Fairfax County School Board plans to hear the superintendent’s presentation in July. If the pilot program is passed, it would go into effect for the 2024-2025 school year.