If you spot a kid in Rappahannock, odds are they have a smartphone in their pocket — and that assumption shouldn’t end once the school bell rings.
Cellphones and their use among children continue to be a topic of discussion among educators nationwide, and the policies for how to control cellphone-related disruptions in the classroom vary, even among Rappahannock schools.
In Rappahannock County Public Schools, administrators and students say a total ban may worsen the problem. One local school, Wakefield Country Day School in Huntly, has such a ban and says it’s working.
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According to the Code of Conduct, which applies to Rappahannock County Elementary School (RCES) and Rappahannock County High School (RCHS), students are not permitted to use personal cellphones or electronic devices during class time. Students do have access to school phones in the front office, and are allowed “to call parents for legitimate reasons,” the code says.
Students at the high school are allowed to use their devices outside of class or when instructed to do so by a teacher in class.
RCHS principal Carlos Seward said the school uses “progressive accountability measures,” meaning, the school will determine the appropriate disciplinary action based on the severity of the student’s violation.
Seward said the issue is first addressed by the teacher, and if it persists, the student may be referred to administration. From there, administrators talk with students and based on their violation history, assign consequences such as taking the phone away for a class period or the entire school day. Seward estimates that administration receives three or four referrals for cellphone policy violations each week, and said cellphones are “not a big disciplinary issue” and students are not often “repeat offenders.”
“Students, they typically get it, they’re not happy about it, and they walk around and may say unpleasant things about their favorite principal under their breath,” Seward said. “[In] a lot of other school divisions, it’s either all or nothing. It’s either we have a complete ban on cellphones, or they kind of ignore the problem, and I think those two extremes create issues.”
While Seward says most students are not repeat offenders, three or four referrals a week at RCHS would mean there are about 100 violations a year out of a student population of about 300.
This year, Wakefield Country Day School implemented a new, stricter cellphone policy which prohibits students from using their phones at all throughout the school day. Some WCDS students said they prefer the stricter policy and can focus better in class.
Damian Brown, a junior at RCHS, said he doesn’t think much can be done to stop students from violating the cellphone policy except taking their phone away when they break the rules. Brown said in most of his classes, particularly dual enrollment college classes, students are respectful of the cellphone rules.
During breaks between classes and at lunch, Brown said he checks his phone. According to Brown, most of his teachers manage cellphone violations with similar strictness and only allow their use when it pertains to something going on in class.
“If you’re using it to look at something that’s actually related to what they’re doing, like checking a date or something for history…they’ll be fine with that,” Brown said. “Kids do take out their phones just kind of randomly throughout class and stuff and try to hide them, but there’s not much you can do to stop that.”
At RCES, students are not allowed to use their cellphones at all throughout the school day, and they must stay out of sight and turned off, according to the Code of Conduct.
Victoria Cooper, Rappahannock PTO vice president, said her daughter, who attends the elemenrary school, keeps her phone on silent in her backpack. Her daughter has sports practices after school, so Cooper said she likes her to have the phone to communicate about pickups. She also said the worry of school shootings lingers in the back of her mind, and she likes knowing her child has a way to contact her in case of an emergency.
“If something bad ever happened, I pray to God that never happens, but if anything bad happened I would want my child to be able to contact [me],” Cooper said. “My daughter takes her cellphone to school, but she knows she has to leave it in her book bag.”
RCPS’ policies are similar to those in surrounding school districts. Madison and Fauquier County school systems permit use of personal electronic devices during non-instructional time, according to their student handbooks. Seward said RCPS’ policies closely resemble those in place in Warren and Fairfax counties.
Brown said he does not think completely prohibiting cellphones at the high school would be beneficial because some students would find ways around the rule. Brown also said it is important to have his phone with him to communicate with his parents.
“Sometimes my parents will forget to tell me that they have an appointment or something later that day, and I need to coordinate rides,” Brown said. “And I would kind of need my phone for that, [my] only contact with the outside world.”
