CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) — After two students and two teachers were shot and killed at Apalachee High School in Georgia on Wednesday, parents and lawmakers in Virginia have are bringing the debate over cell phones in schools back to the forefront.
On Wednesday Sept. 5, Del. Holly Seibold (D-Fairfax County) renewed the topic on social media voicing her opinion after a 14-year-old student used an assault-style rifle to kill two students and two teachers in the hallway outside his algebra classroom, according to authorities.
On Tuesday, July 9, Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin ordered the Virginia Department of Education to draft framework limiting or banning cellphones in classrooms across all of the Commonwealth’s school districts.
8News spoke with Nicole Monday, a parent in Chesterfield County who said new restrictions for cell phones would be a welcome sight, but knowing her child is safe at school gives her peace of mind.
“I would think that kids are going to be nervous and scared not knowing what’s going on,” Monday said. “I would hope, if law enforcement came in, they would react, they would listen. But also being able to text your parents may give you a little bit of comfort.”