Conversations continue surrounding proposed cell phone policies for Henrico Schools

HENRICO COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) — Henrico County Public Schools' proposed student code of conduct for the 2025-26 year is currently being reviewed, with one pressing matter being the state of use of cell phones in the next school year.

Several Central Virginia schools have adopted a "bell-to-bell" cell phone policy that restricts the use of the device during the school day, abiding by guidance from the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE).

The guidance was to be adopted by all schools across the Commonwealth by Jan. 1.

Currently, Henrico elementary school students are required to have their cellular devices stored away for the entire school day and during after-school activities.

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The only proposed changes that would impact this grade level would be new consequences for students who defy the policy for a fifth time. Instead of having to turn in the phone daily, it would no longer be allowed in school.

The current policy for middle and high school students is to have their phones stored in the classroom during classes, but they are allowed to be used in between classes and at lunch.

The new proposal would require secondary students to have their phones stored away throughout the school day and during after-school activities.

"If we move to a bell-to-bell schedule, there’s really no opportunity for me to access him or for him to access my husband and that’s a real issue," said Tenesha Lewis, a Henrico County Public School parent.

While Lewis slightly disagrees, some teachers have voiced their favor of the proposal, submitting a response in the "Citizen Participation Form" for the Thursday, April 17 school board meeting.

One Henrico High School English teacher wrote anonymously, in part:

"It is a constant disruption and, instead of teaching, I am playing the cell phone police. If we don't want cell phones in class, why can't we take them?" Anonymous Henrico High School English teacher

"It's clear that disruptive students and cell phone and technology policy abuses are constant and often daily hassles," said Marlene Sherlock of the Fairfield District. "A chaotic classroom is no learning environment for anyone. Stop being afraid of what the numbers might be if you just enforce the rules."

A survey was conducted asking stakeholders -- that being students, teachers and staff -- for feedback on the current student code of conduct. 47% of teachers reported using division-wide boxes in the classroom to store cell phones.

School leaders said at Thursday afternoon's meeting that students were given the choice this year to either store their phone in a division-wide school box or in their backpacks.

School board vice chair Madison Irving, representing the Three Chopt District, noted the need for consistency regardless of the choice.

"That's one of the hardest thing to enforce, is when a kid says, 'Well, my other teacher doesn't do this,' and it's easy to respond, 'Well, I'm not that other teacher,' but I do think that, when people don't follow the policy as they're supposed to be, it does undermine moral and undermines the enforcement," Irving said. "I do hope that we will see the consistency because that's remarkably important and it makes buy-in easier for the students when rules are always evenly applied and they know what the expectation is every single time."

The board is expected to vote on the proposed student code of conduct for the 2025-26 school year on June 12.