Executive Order decreeing "cell-phone free" education in k-12

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They need to figure out how coaches with communicate practice info and other info with kids because right now- all on the cell phond

You know, there was a time before cell phones where all of these things somehow managed to work.

+1, tell 1-2 kids and have them tell 1-3 others and it spreads. That was the way for decades before 2010.

[Anonymous]

I am a middle-school teacher. We already have a no-cell-phone policy. We are supposed to confiscate any phones we see at any time. But it’s a losing battle. Every kid has a phone, and they sneak them. Confiscating them turns into an argument. Half the time the kids are texting with their parents, who get angry when the phone is taken. Now all the kids are getting around the policy by getting smart watches. While the governor’s policy is a good one, ultimately it doesn’t change anything for me. It’s still my problem to deal with.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not a ban, just guidance on how a school system may implement a ban if they want to. You're getting all worked up about something 100% performative.

No, read the EO. It includes guidance on how to implement a ban and a requirement to do so.

It also says “limit or restrict.” EOs are not law, this is nothing beyond what FCPS already has.

Our previous president wrote executive orders like he was giving out candy and it changed. Nothing, they mean nothing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I love this!

What does it mean though? Keep cell phones in backpacks? Give them to the teacher for holding?

Oh please, not that. I don’t want to be responsible for over 100 cell phones each day. What happens if one gets stolen? Would I be responsible?

Yes

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am a middle-school teacher. We already have a no-cell-phone policy. We are supposed to confiscate any phones we see at any time. But it’s a losing battle. Every kid has a phone, and they sneak them. Confiscating them turns into an argument. Half the time the kids are texting with their parents, who get angry when the phone is taken. Now all the kids are getting around the policy by getting smart watches. While the governor’s policy is a good one, ultimately it doesn’t change anything for me. It’s still my problem to deal with.

My middle schooler never used them until this spring when half the class was studying for SOL retakes and the rest were told to occupy themselves. The school created a new block just for SOL study. I supported here cell phone use and eventual truancy during that time of the year

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Excellent decision. Never would have happened had McAullife been elected Governor. VA education is much better off with Youngkin.

Youngkin piggybacked on what many VA school districts have ALREADY done. It’s been repeated throughout this thread.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Long time HS teacher here and this is how it’s going to play out with older kids. There will be meetings during the teacher workdays and we will need to have something in the syllabus. Admin will put together some unrealistic protocol, like we need to keep track of infractions ourself, give a certain number of warnings, on the whatever time email/call parents, then on the next time write a referral. Some teachers will stress over this and have complicated spreadsheets, write referrals only to find out no discipline happens.

Nothing will change in my class. I’ve always had a cell away rule. It’s usually not an issue. I will contact parents if they are ever cheating on a test or being disruptive. I will not if I see them send a quick text. No one has time for that and most of the time, the parents are texting their own kids.

This and admin will do nothing but expect teachers to do it all-as usual.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Long time HS teacher here and this is how it’s going to play out with older kids. There will be meetings during the teacher workdays and we will need to have something in the syllabus. Admin will put together some unrealistic protocol, like we need to keep track of infractions ourself, give a certain number of warnings, on the whatever time email/call parents, then on the next time write a referral. Some teachers will stress over this and have complicated spreadsheets, write referrals only to find out no discipline happens.

Nothing will change in my class. I’ve always had a cell away rule. It’s usually not an issue. I will contact parents if they are ever cheating on a test or being disruptive. I will not if I see them send a quick text. No one has time for that and most of the time, the parents are texting their own kids.

This and admin will do nothing but expect teachers to do it all-as usual.

Teachers will have to do their jobs, waah waah waah.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Long time HS teacher here and this is how it’s going to play out with older kids. There will be meetings during the teacher workdays and we will need to have something in the syllabus. Admin will put together some unrealistic protocol, like we need to keep track of infractions ourself, give a certain number of warnings, on the whatever time email/call parents, then on the next time write a referral. Some teachers will stress over this and have complicated spreadsheets, write referrals only to find out no discipline happens.

Nothing will change in my class. I’ve always had a cell away rule. It’s usually not an issue. I will contact parents if they are ever cheating on a test or being disruptive. I will not if I see them send a quick text. No one has time for that and most of the time, the parents are texting their own kids.

This and admin will do nothing but expect teachers to do it all-as usual.

100% my thought when I saw the executive order. There are legitimate ways to keep phones out of class (in locker bell to bell is my favorite, and admin confiscates if it's seen and makes parents pick it up - kids can't get it back), but this does not mandate any of those. Short of those being mandated, school admins have no stomach for doing anything hard and real.

We need politicians who will not just slap lipstick on pigs, but actually do things. I haven't seen one of those in a long, long time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Well my child's cell phone is also a medical device. Ugh.

You can get that written into their IEP.

Exception granted of course if this is tied to a cgm or similar.

And FCPS is always so good with following documentation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:FCPS will need to implement at least 5 new and unannounced teacher work days in order to figure out how to implement this /s

lol

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:FCPS will need to implement at least 5 new and unannounced teacher work days in order to figure out how to implement this /s

lol

They provably need to delay the Kanuary start by at least two weeks.

[Anonymous]

One of my kids teacher's solution to this was a brown paper bag at every desk. At the beginning of class, each kid was required to put their phone in the bag, staple it shut, and leave it there for the entire class.

If they tried to get at their phone, the bag rattled.

The phones stayed on the desks in the student's possession, so the teacher was not responsible.

The last few minutes of class, they could open the bag to retrieve their phones.

The bags were reused for the next classes. When the bags became unusable, the teacher replaced them.

A cheap, simple and effective solution.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I love this!

What does it mean though? Keep cell phones in backpacks? Give them to the teacher for holding?

Oh please, not that. I don’t want to be responsible for over 100 cell phones each day. What happens if one gets stolen? Would I be responsible?

Yes

And that why it won’t be successful. I’m not collecting phones if there is a chance later on that a kid can say that I broke it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Long time HS teacher here and this is how it’s going to play out with older kids. There will be meetings during the teacher workdays and we will need to have something in the syllabus. Admin will put together some unrealistic protocol, like we need to keep track of infractions ourself, give a certain number of warnings, on the whatever time email/call parents, then on the next time write a referral. Some teachers will stress over this and have complicated spreadsheets, write referrals only to find out no discipline happens.

Nothing will change in my class. I’ve always had a cell away rule. It’s usually not an issue. I will contact parents if they are ever cheating on a test or being disruptive. I will not if I see them send a quick text. No one has time for that and most of the time, the parents are texting their own kids.

This and admin will do nothing but expect teachers to do it all-as usual.

Teachers will have to do their jobs, waah waah waah.

Jokes on you, I’m not changing a thing.