New cell phone policy for 2026-2027

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What can we do about the 5th/6th graders taking their phones to school? It starts super early and I feel like it shouldn’t be allowed.

My 6th graders just got a phone. She does not take it to school. There is no need to, if she needs to get a hold of me she will call me from the classroom phone or she sends a note through her school Google email. I log in during the day to her account to see if she leaves a message. I only get a message very few months.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I really don't understand the big deal. I haven't heard any complaints about the current policy, this is just an extra 30 minutes in the middle of the day. But we have 18 pages of arguments, what's wrong with y'all?

You should try eating lunch without your phone and see how long you last!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I really don't understand the big deal. I haven't heard any complaints about the current policy, this is just an extra 30 minutes in the middle of the day. But we have 18 pages of arguments, what's wrong with y'all?

You should try eating lunch without your phone and see how long you last!

DP. I think I've only accessed my phone once or twice during lunch, over the past five years combined.

I have relationships with people, not phones, so I talk to colleagues during lunch, take walks with friends, or read a book while I eat.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I really don't understand the big deal. I haven't heard any complaints about the current policy, this is just an extra 30 minutes in the middle of the day. But we have 18 pages of arguments, what's wrong with y'all?

You should try eating lunch without your phone and see how long you last!

DP. I think I've only accessed my phone once or twice during lunch, over the past five years combined.

I have relationships with people, not phones, so I talk to colleagues during lunch, take walks with friends, or read a book while I eat.

Debate going off topic. What working parents are able to do at their lunchtimes is irrelevant to school conversation. Yes, some parents have jobs where above scenario is an option. Others have jobs requiring them to be reached all day, including lunch so they yes, they use their phones at lunch. Neither is relevant.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I told my kid about the new rule for next year and he laughed and was like “how are they going to enforce that?”

Yondr pouches?

DP but I’m the HS teacher from pages back and this is why they laughed. I explained why schools will buy these, spend money and think they did something. Kids will put anything in them so they can comply and keep their real phones. Phone cases, decks of cards, fake phones, they are creative. Go ahead and do an Amazon search for dummy phone and see how cheap they are and how realistic they look. In 10 seconds, the cheapest realistic one I found today was $6.50.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I really don't understand the big deal. I haven't heard any complaints about the current policy, this is just an extra 30 minutes in the middle of the day. But we have 18 pages of arguments, what's wrong with y'all?

You should try eating lunch without your phone and see how long you last!

DP. I think I've only accessed my phone once or twice during lunch, over the past five years combined.

I have relationships with people, not phones, so I talk to colleagues during lunch, take walks with friends, or read a book while I eat.

Debate going off topic. What working parents are able to do at their lunchtimes is irrelevant to school conversation. Yes, some parents have jobs where above scenario is an option. Others have jobs requiring them to be reached all day, including lunch so they yes, they use their phones at lunch. Neither is relevant.

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I really don't understand the big deal. I haven't heard any complaints about the current policy, this is just an extra 30 minutes in the middle of the day. But we have 18 pages of arguments, what's wrong with y'all?

You should try eating lunch without your phone and see how long you last!

I mean, I have a job, so I eat lunch in the lounge with my co-workers much like my kids eat lunch in the cafeteria with their friends. Occasionally we go out to eat. Rarely I will eat at my desk because I have to finish some work.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I really don't understand the big deal. I haven't heard any complaints about the current policy, this is just an extra 30 minutes in the middle of the day. But we have 18 pages of arguments, what's wrong with y'all?

You should try eating lunch without your phone and see how long you last!

I mean, I have a job, so I eat lunch in the lounge with my co-workers much like my kids eat lunch in the cafeteria with their friends. Occasionally we go out to eat. Rarely I will eat at my desk because I have to finish some work.

Now imagine you don’t have friends in your lunch period. You have to sit there looking up not talking to anyone while everyone else around you seems to have a group. You also now aren’t allowed to use your phone. You could at least study a bit online or look on schoology or watch a review video. But nope. You aren’t allowed to touch your phone and it’s your own free time. It’s painful and humiliating to sit alone. And then the the fear of having someone discover you don’t have a group or friends to sit with.

[Anonymous]

Is it or is it not state law? A quick search and AI overview gave me this:
Virginia public schools enforce a statewide "bell-to-bell" policy requiring all student cell phones to be turned off and stored away from the first morning bell until dismissal. This covers all instructional time, lunch breaks, and transitions between

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Is it or is it not state law? A quick search and AI overview gave me this:
Virginia public schools enforce a statewide "bell-to-bell" policy requiring all student cell phones to be turned off and stored away from the first morning bell until dismissal. This covers all instructional time, lunch breaks, and transitions between

Yes, it's state law. It's been state law all year. FCPS chose not to follow it this year. Next year they will.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I really don't understand the big deal. I haven't heard any complaints about the current policy, this is just an extra 30 minutes in the middle of the day. But we have 18 pages of arguments, what's wrong with y'all?

You should try eating lunch without your phone and see how long you last!

I mean, I have a job, so I eat lunch in the lounge with my co-workers much like my kids eat lunch in the cafeteria with their friends. Occasionally we go out to eat. Rarely I will eat at my desk because I have to finish some work.

Now imagine you don’t have friends in your lunch period. You have to sit there looking up not talking to anyone while everyone else around you seems to have a group. You also now aren’t allowed to use your phone. You could at least study a bit online or look on schoology or watch a review video. But nope. You aren’t allowed to touch your phone and it’s your own free time. It’s painful and humiliating to sit alone. And then the the fear of having someone discover you don’t have a group or friends to sit with.

So open your laptop. Read through your notes. Go to the library and get a book.

As someone who had a full semester of lunch duty every other day this year, 99% of kids aren't using their phones to study, they are scrolling tik tok and instagram at lunch, and it's contributing even more to feeling left out. Don't try to turn this into a "poor kids with no friends" story, because taking away phones will actually *help* those kids become included. People will actually be talking and engaging and maybe open to chatting with different kids vs hiding in a bubble of mindless scrolling.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I really don't understand the big deal. I haven't heard any complaints about the current policy, this is just an extra 30 minutes in the middle of the day. But we have 18 pages of arguments, what's wrong with y'all?

You should try eating lunch without your phone and see how long you last!

I mean, I have a job, so I eat lunch in the lounge with my co-workers much like my kids eat lunch in the cafeteria with their friends. Occasionally we go out to eat. Rarely I will eat at my desk because I have to finish some work.

Now imagine you don’t have friends in your lunch period. You have to sit there looking up not talking to anyone while everyone else around you seems to have a group. You also now aren’t allowed to use your phone. You could at least study a bit online or look on schoology or watch a review video. But nope. You aren’t allowed to touch your phone and it’s your own free time. It’s painful and humiliating to sit alone. And then the the fear of having someone discover you don’t have a group or friends to sit with.

Do what humans have done for 99.9999999999% of our existence and DEAL WITH IT.

Make new friends, or don't.

Sit alone, or try and talk to others.

Or learn to be by yourself and be able to handle it. Which billions of humans have done throughout human existence.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I really don't understand the big deal. I haven't heard any complaints about the current policy, this is just an extra 30 minutes in the middle of the day. But we have 18 pages of arguments, what's wrong with y'all?

You should try eating lunch without your phone and see how long you last!

I mean, I have a job, so I eat lunch in the lounge with my co-workers much like my kids eat lunch in the cafeteria with their friends. Occasionally we go out to eat. Rarely I will eat at my desk because I have to finish some work.

Now imagine you don’t have friends in your lunch period. You have to sit there looking up not talking to anyone while everyone else around you seems to have a group. You also now aren’t allowed to use your phone. You could at least study a bit online or look on schoology or watch a review video. But nope. You aren’t allowed to touch your phone and it’s your own free time. It’s painful and humiliating to sit alone. And then the the fear of having someone discover you don’t have a group or friends to sit with.

So open your laptop. Read through your notes. Go to the library and get a book.

As someone who had a full semester of lunch duty every other day this year, 99% of kids aren't using their phones to study, they are scrolling tik tok and instagram at lunch, and it's contributing even more to feeling left out. Don't try to turn this into a "poor kids with no friends" story, because taking away phones will actually *help* those kids become included. People will actually be talking and engaging and maybe open to chatting with different kids vs hiding in a bubble of mindless scrolling.

This is so massively correct, thank you for writing this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I told my kid about the new rule for next year and he laughed and was like “how are they going to enforce that?”

Yondr pouches?

We will plan to get a dummy phone if they make them use those stupid pouches.

This is some impressive parenting.

I’m telling you! A lot of this pushback feels like it’s coming from SAHMs who struggle with limiting their own technology use, and, as a result, feel the need to stay in constant contact with their kids throughout the school day. In many cases, it feels less about the students’ needs and more about the parents’ dependence on continuous communication.

I think the majority of parents responding to this thread understand that this policy is ultimately for the greater benefit of high school students -- socially, academically, and mentally. It helps curb excessive social media use, reduces rampant cheating with phones, and protects kids from the constant dopamine-driven stimulation that so many are already struggling with. For the parents looking to work around the policy with burner phones or other loopholes, those are not the people we should be viewing as a competent adults on this issue -- you’re dealing with people who likely need to reevaluate their own relationship with technology first.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I really don't understand the big deal. I haven't heard any complaints about the current policy, this is just an extra 30 minutes in the middle of the day. But we have 18 pages of arguments, what's wrong with y'all?

You should try eating lunch without your phone and see how long you last!

Before phones were allowed in school, EVERY SINGLE KID (including you!) did just that -- ate lunch without a phone ... and lasted the entire period. Stop enabling bad habits!