Richmond School Board outlines disciplinary system for student cell phone use under new policies

RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) -- School board members with Richmond Public Schools discussed further details on its cell phone-free education policies on Monday, including its tiered approach to disciplining students who do not comply.

During a scheduled meeting on Monday, Dec. 2, the Richmond School Board revealed additional information about the cell phone use policy that the school district has been developing for some time.

Most recently, on Nov. 11, the school board's technology-related policy was amended to include cell phone-related points and thusly renamed to the "Acceptable Technology and Cell Phone Use Policy." Prior to that, the school board hosted several listening sessions regarding these policy changes.

All of these deliberations stem from an executive order issued by Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R), aimed at establishing cell phone-free education in Virginia.

Under this new policy, all Richmond Public Schools will become "bell-to-bell" cell phone-free environments. All cell phones will need to be stored away, not in the student's possession.

PREVIOUS: Richmond Public Schools unveiling new details on phone use policy

There are exceptions for those with medical or emotional needs, as long as the family submits the proper documentation and is approved.

New details on disciplinary system, confiscation

On Monday, the school division detailed the tiered approach to discipline that students who do not comply with the cell phone policies can expect to experience:

• First offense: A verbal warning and documentation by school staff.
• Second offense: A written warning, parental/caregiver content and the potential temporary confiscation of the involved device. This may require caregiver pick-up, depending on the severity of the offense.
• Third offense: Disciplinary action, such as restorative room assignment for a class period or for the day, or an out-of-school suspension, depending on the severity or frequency of violations. This may also include the temporary confiscation of the involved device.
  • Elementary students may participate in individual or small group sessions with the school counselor and/or behavior specialist. They will discuss things like making good choices and how their choices can lead to increased consequences.

In the event of severe violations -- including when a device is used for cheating, cyberbullying or illegal activities -- students may experience immediate confiscation of the involved device, suspension, law enforcement involvement and/or legal action, depending on the situation.

The policy outlines some scenarios where confiscation may occur. This includes the visible use of a device, the use of a device in a way that disrupts learning, in the event where the device is used in ways concerning to safety, like cyberbullying or cheating.

Additionally, if a student refuses to comply with a confiscation, they will be suspended or, in the event that their conduct requires law enforcement involvement, the device may be confiscated as part of the resulting investigation.

The full presentation from Monday's meeting is included below.

Board members discuss their concerns on enforcement

At Monday's meeting, board members discussed the impact that these policies could have on students, faculty and families.

Shonda Harris-Muhammed, the school board member representing District 6, expressed concerns about consistency across schools, as the policy allows for some discretion on how individual school leadership wishes to carry out its tenants. For example, the confiscation procedures can be adjusted depending on a school's population.

Harris-Muhammed pointed out that some families may have multiple children who attend different schools. She said that she wants to be able to confidently say that Richmond's schools are enforcing the tiered-level approach consistently. If two students violate the policies in the same way but receive wildly different consequences, this could create confusion and tension.

"Our schools are not consistent in doing the same thing, which makes our job as a governance team extremely difficult," she said. "That was a hot topic [in previous discussions.]"

Renesha Parks, the Chief Wellness Officer with Richmond Public Schools and the leader of Monday night's presentation, said leadership is working to ensure such consistency.

"I think there will be some nuances because, as you remember, we had some schools who decided they wanted to continue with the Yondr pilot program -- [the phone] pouches," Parks said. "[Martin Luther King, Jr. Middle School] being one of them."

She added that some schools have already implemented their own processes during this 2024-25 school year and, to avoid further confusion, the plan isn't to force them to conform to the new procedures too quickly. School leadership intends to revisit such schools' policies at the end of this school year.

Harris-Muhammed reiterated that her interest in ensuring consistency is to prevent confusion.

"This is a process driven out of [an] executive order and if we're not clear on the process -- [whether] you agree with the executive order or not, the processes have to be clear across the division," she said.

Mariah White, the school board member representing District 2, said she is concerned about the amount of additional work this will create for office assistants, as they try to make and receive these cell phone policy-related calls while juggling all of their other responsibilities.

"Some schools only have one office assistant -- so how will we handle that?" Burke asked.

Parks said she believes that sort of issue will only be "situational."

"I think that, by in large, 98% of our student population [is] going to do what they're supposed to do," Parks said. "We're gonna have 2% of our student population who are going to do something different."

Cheryl Burke, the school board member representing District 7, said she hopes that communication on these policies is sufficient to ensure that all those involved are educated on the process.

On that front, the presentation outlined multiple ways in which the school division intends to guarantee awareness and understanding of these policies, including:

• Distribution of the policy to all caregivers and students
• School-based "Community Conversations" that explain the policy, answer questions and address concerns
• Posting the policies to RPS school websites, social media platforms, newsletters and "frequently-traveled spaces" such as front offices, cafeterias and classrooms

"We are encouraging schools to create student-led engaging videos or infographics explaining the benefits of a cell-phone-free learning environment and the importance for their school community," officials said in the presentation.

The presentation goes on to commit to leadership's "over-communicat[ing]" with students and staff, in addition to consistently monitoring the way these policies impact schools over time.

For more information, check out the school division's Cell Phone Use Policy Q&A page.