Rappahannock County School Board Meeting, Dec. 10, 2024
Click above to watch Tuesday’s Rappahannock County School Board meeting.
Tracking students violating policy
School officials told the Rappahannock County School Board Tuesday that a cellphone violation form has been implemented online, which allows teachers to report a student for violating the high school’s no cellphone policy without a verbal confrontation or disruption.
This was one of the updates school principals and the school superintendent presented to the board on how they are planning to track, record and enforce new cellphone policies. The online form gives administrators the ability to review data on how many violations are reported for each classroom, grade or individual student.
“One of the challenges that we feel we have at the high school is that when you have a student that is attached … to their cellphone, when an adult tries to intervene and ask them to disconnect, sometimes the immediate response to the adult is not always appropriate,” said Rappahannock County High School principal Mary Jane Boynton. “We now have a cellphone report form and the teacher doesn’t even have to address the students.”
Boynton said the school is conducting a “cellphone challenge” this month, testing students’ ability to follow the policy and giving them some say in how much use is allowed.
School administration is considering two options for next semester — cellphones off and put away at all times except lunch, or no access to cellphones at all. Boynton said based on the students’ success in limiting violations, she is “pretty confident” that option one — use only during lunch — will be the chosen policy.
“[We’re] basically putting the onus back onto the students to choose which option we will have starting in January,” Boynton said. “The students have blown me away with how conscientious and willing they are to step up to the challenge.”
The elementary school will also adopt a new policy with a three-tiered approach on punishments for violating the policy, increasing in severity from a verbal warning to a meeting with administrators.
Schools Superintendent Shannon Grimsley told the board that educating students on adverse effects of cellphone overuse is key to breaking the habit. She said a baseline education on health risks and addiction that can arise from chronic electronic use will be required for all high school students.
“When you understand the risks associated with something, you’re more likely to make positive changes to your health habits. So to do that, you need to educate,” Grimsley said. “And our students are more than capable … of taking control of this and being empowered to be a part of their trajectory and their health habits.”
Fit Kids Clinic
Tara Prince, nurse and telepresenter in the school district’s Fit Kids Clinic, reported to the School Board on the steady increase of its use.
The clinic, which is open to all RCPS students and staff, offers telehealth appointments and several rapid tests and culture tests on campus. Use of the clinic has increased month over month, with around 30 visits logged in November, according to school district data.
Grimsley said this semester’s data reflects the most consistent, highest level of use since the clinic was created.
“People are starting to find out about it … and we’re really coming along,” Prince said.
As part of the presentation, Joyce Wenger, president of the nonprofit Rapp at Home that helps seniors in Rappahannock, shared plans with the board to partner with the school clinic to also provide care to local seniors.
Wenger said Rapp at Home and the clinic hope to launch a pilot program with a select group of seniors to test the model, who will be able to schedule appointments. She said they hope to gradually expand the partnership, and still need to “iron out” some of the details.
