VIRGINIA - Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin issued an executive order Tuesday aimed at establishing cell phone-free education across the Commonwealth’s K-12 Public Schools.
According to the Governor’s Office, Youngkin’s Executive Order 33, issued July 9th, directs the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) to draft new guidance for public schools to adopt new policies to keep classrooms cell phone-free. The order also includes the framework for schools to publicly engage with students, parents, teachers, and school leaders to develop these new policies, as well as establish protocols that would allow parents to contact students during emergencies.
A combined $500,000 is also to be set aside in the VDOE and Department of Behavioral Health and Development Services (DBHDS) from existing funds for the rollout of the new programs.
“This essential action will promote a healthier and more focused educational environment where every child is free to learn. Creating cell phone and social media-free educational environments in Virginia’s K-12 education system will benefit students, parents, and educators,” said Governor Glenn Youngkin. “Today’s Executive Order both establishes the clear goal to protect the health and safety of our students by limiting the amount of time they are exposed to addictive cell phones and social media and eliminates clear distractions in the classroom. It also kicks off the robust conversations among parents, students, teachers, and school and community leaders necessary to design and implement these policies and procedures at the local level.”
The Governor’s Office cites a rise in youth chronic health conditions such as depression and anxiety, driven by excessive cell phone and social media use, as the impetus for his executive order. Youngkin’s Office shared statistics that children now spend an average of 4.8 hours a day on social media, over 1.5 hours more than the 3 hour limit before the risk of poor mental health increases.
“The data is clear, and it is time for Virginians to come together to address the damage of social media and screens to healthy childhoods,” said Secretary of Education Aimee Guidera. “Government cannot be the sole solution to this crisis; school communities – especially parents and teachers – must work together to discuss and develop common sense approaches to limit screen time, prioritize open channels of communication, and re-establish norms that reinforce healthy and vibrant learning communities,”
Youngkin’s executive order directs the VDOE to publish their first draft guidance for Virginia schools by August 15th. After a public feedback period, final guidance will then be issued in September for implementation across the Commonwealth set for January 1st, 2025.
An overview of Youngkin’s new executive order, as well as how to weigh in on the policies, can be found on the Virginia Department of Education website.