Youngkin signs Virginia’s law that limits the use of cellphone “bell tower in public schools

Republican Governor Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin signed a bill on Friday by limiting the use of cell phones for all Virginia primary, secondary and high school students.

Youngkin, who built his political career that defended parents’ rights in education, signed Ceremonious two versions of Bill, HB1961 and SB738, to Carter G. Woodson Middle School in Hopewell, Virginia. Youngkin said it was a suitable place for a day full of so much “hope”.

“When we join, elected officials, administrators, teachers, parents and all of you, we can move mountains and we can change something that needs to be changed, and it is to find the freedom, the freedom of cell phones,” said Youungkin, who was flanked by his wife, Virginia First Lady Suzanne S. Young; Public School students; defenders of education; and local politicians.

“We are joining to move a mountain,” Youungkin said, as he emphasized the negative effect of cell phones on schools on mental illness, class behavior, academic performance and interpersonal relationships.

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The bill strictly limits the use of phones in classrooms to reduce distractions and interruptions, encoding the executive order of Youngkin signed last year “to protect the health and safety of students in Virginia public schools by broadcasting guidelines on the creation of free education policies and procedures.”

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“ We are based on the Foundation set by executive order 33 to convert Virginia into the national leader in the restoration of the approach, academic excellence in the classroom and restore health and safety in our schools.This legislation guarantees that each school division adopts a complete bell policy and eliminates the cell phones from the classrooms, creating a learning environment free of distractions, ” said Youngkin.

The research indicates that the use of cell phones in the classroom can have a negative effect on student notes, social skills, emotional development and mental health.

In 2024 Pew Research Center The study, more than 70% of high school teachers said that the cell phones that distract students in the classroom is a major problem.

“It wasn’t just a problem. It’s a crisis. And when we have a crisis, we call on unified action, and that’s what this meeting is, this unified call for action,” Youngkin said.

Governor Glenn Youngkin signs a bill on the law that limits the use of mobile phone in Virginia public schools. (Office of Governor Glenn Youngkin)

Public schools in the city of Hopewell adopted a “bag system” in their secondary schools at the beginning of the school year 2022-2023, which has been used as a case study and potential model for the launch of non-mobile education in Virginia Department of Education.

“I want to add my thanks for Hopewell’s leadership because it was your leadership that inspired the executive order I wrote last summer,” Youungkin said.

The legislation throughout the state requires that school councils develop and public schools promote policies to restrict the use of students’ cell phones during the school day. The law includes exceptions for students with individualized education plans, section 504 plans or health conditions, so mobile phones can be used when needed medically needed.

A teenager shifts the phone. (Istock)

The law also prohibits schools from suspending, expelling, or eliminating class students to violate mobile phones policies.

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Florida became the first state to pass a law that regulates the use of cell phones in schools in 2023. More than half of all states now have similar laws.