Efforts by Arlington school leaders to put in place for the start of the school year a temporary, district-wide policy on student phone use brought criticism before it even had been formally unveiled.
School Board members on July 18 heard criticism of the nascent proposal from representatives of both the County Council of PTAs (CCPTA) and Special Education Parent-Teacher Association of Arlington (SEPTA), saying imposition of a stopgap proposal without full community engagement was not in keeping with traditional norms.
At the July 18 meeting, Superintendent Francisco Durán confirmed that, as previously expected, school leaders plan to have a new policy on phone use by students ratified and in place by the end of the calendar year. But it was his proposal to create a policy-implementation procedure (known in school-speak as a “PIP”) to cover the period from the start of the school year until final adoption that drew brushback.
Such a document would serve as a “bridge” to an eventual formal policy and would allow the school system to “start the year with some consistency,” Durán said.
In response, CCPTA president Claire Nokes said adopting a short-term policy at the staff level would set an “atrocious precedent” and was the equivalent of attempting to “sneak it by” the public.
SEPTA’s two co-chairs told School Board members that a one-size-fits-all policy won’t work for students with disabilities and other challenges, and should not be rushed.
Currently at the secondary-school level, particularly at high schools, there is something of a hodgepodge of rules and varying degrees of enforcement.
Under the current timeline, the PIP would be unveiled for public consumption and discussion in early August, with a School Board vote set for Aug. 15. The proposed new policy would be released to the public in late August or early September, with School Board action slated by December.
That end-of-year adoption would put Arlington on the same track as the state government, which is developing a statewide policy governing the use of communication devices by students.
As outlined by the Virginia Department of Education, the commonwealth’s 131 school systems would need to use the state requirements as a minimum, but could go further in restrictions.
At the July 18 meeting, School Board member Bethany Sutton said she was hopeful students themselves would assist in developing a local policy.
“I’m sure they will have thoughts,” Sutton said. “We definitely will be looking for ways to engage student voices.”
