Starting the 2025-2026 school year, phones will no longer be allowed from the start of the school day until after the last bell, including during one lunch. Principal Carey Manugo told the SunDevil Times that “any decision on school wide policies are based on what’s best for student learning” and no decision is taken lightly.
“The enforcement process will be similar to this year, with the change that phones will not be allowed during One Lunch,” said Manugo. “Students will be expected to turn off and store their cell phones in their bags once the bell rings for 1st block until the dismissal bell rings for 4th block.”
The policy follows Executive Order 33 issued by Governor Glenn Youngkin in July. The order states that all public schools in Virginia are required to become ‘cell-phone free’.
“I like the new policy and am totally in favor of it,” said Chemistry Teacher Elizabeth Dupont. “I think that many students are adversely affected by what they do on their phones. Not everyone, but enough that the policy is needed. The fact that they can get away from [social media] at school is important.”
Many teachers and parents share similar beliefs, with the banning of phones being a positive change, giving students a free space to be away from their phones.
However, some students disagree, saying one lunch is the only free time for them to look at their messages or contact their parents. One such student is junior Savannah Coulter.
“I understand the reasoning behind [the policy,] but I don’t see a problem with phones during lunch as it’s essentially a break time,” said Coulter.
Ideas on how to enforce the policy vary. Some Virginia schools already use Yondr pouches (more on these here). Students have expressed concern that might not be able to keep One Lunch because it will be too much for teachers to enforce the policy during their lunch duty if the entire school has lunch at the same time.
For those concerned about losing One Lunch, Manugo told the SunDevil Times that “There are NO plans to change One Lunch unless there are issues with student behavior (not limited to but including cell phone policy compliance) and safety.”
In the end, only time will tell how both students and staff manage this new policy next year.
