This article was originally published in Virginia Mercury.
Some of Virginia’s school boards have begun banning or restricting the use of cellphones in schools. Now, the Virginia Senate is backing a proposal to explicitly empower local boards to institute such prohibitions on cellphones and other “handheld communication devices” during regular school hours.
The legislation cleared the Senate on a 36-3 vote Tuesday and will need to get the approval of the House of Delegates and Gov. Glenn Youngkin to go into effect.
“I’m not telling them to ban cellphones,” said Sen. Bill Stanley, R-Franklin, the bill’s patron, during a hearing earlier this month on the proposal. “I think we should send a clear message to our school systems that if they find it’s in their best interest to do so during the school hours, they should have every right to do so.”
Get stories like these delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for The 74 Newsletter
In Virginia, several school divisions including those in Carroll County and the city of Richmond have restricted cellphone use during school hours.