On Tuesday evening, the Manassas City School Board approved making changes to its dress code and smartphone plans.
The changes may make it possible for high school students to use portable electronic devices before the school bell’s night careless bell, after the termination ring, between classes, for lunch, or other occasions when a teacher has told them otherwise.
Devices, however, may become silenced and no obvious during all academic times. Watches that have a dual function may be worn, but cellphone features must be disabled when using portable electronic devices are prohibited, according to the plan.
Individuals in seventh and eighth marks may use portable electronic devices before the day careless ring, after the termination ring, or whenever a school staff specifically permits it.
Students in seventh and eighth grades must silence and store their products for the duration of the school day, as opposed to simply during high school academic periods. Additionally, two objective watches must be off for the duration of the day of school.
With the changes, students in pre-kindergarten through fifth class may not use portable electronic devices during the day without the principal’s or designee’s approval.
Watches that serve a dual purpose may only be worn by the building administrator or professor, and the tools may become silenced and disposed of for the duration of the school day.
When the adjustments were first discussed at a board meeting in late June, Robyn Williams claimed that an active policy is being clarified rather than a new one.
Parents and students should be made aware that we have a plan for a while regarding smartphones, Williams said. There is a lot in the information about several districts revisiting their cellphone laws. We’ve had one, we’ve changed it a few years ago, and now we’re trying to provide more direction. I’d like to see more of these guidelines and codes of conduct being implemented.
The changes were made by Virginia Governor. On Tuesday, Glenn Youngkin issued an executive order directing the Virginia Department of Education to create guidelines for local public school groups to implement local laws and procedures establishing cell-free training. By Jan. 1, 2025, the order requires that nearby school groups adopt cellphone-free learning policies and procedures.
Following further advice regarding the executive order, the school department will probably want to examine the code of conduct and its guidelines around cellphones, according to Vice Chair Lisa Stevens.
Additionally, the School Board approved modifications to the dress code to primarily clarify the policy. The length of shorts and skirts and the midriff prohibition were both removed, and there was also language that emphasized what clothing students should avoid wearing.
“Our administrators do a lot of things, but they do not walk around with rulers, measuring people’s skirts. So this is, I think, a much better, clearer way to communicate to our students what’s expected of them”, School Board member Sara Brescia said.