'Commonwealth Conversations' to Focus on Cellphone-Free Education
Fredericksburg among the districts hosting these conversations.
By Emily Seymour
This article was republished with permission from FXBG Advance’s news partner InsideNoVa.com. Sign up for InsideNoVa.com’s free email subscription today.
The Virginia Department of Education announced Tuesday it will host eight “Commonwealth Conversations” with parents, educators and community members on cellphone-free education.
The announcement comes after Gov. Glenn Youngkin issued an executive order last week directing the Department of Education to draft guidance for public school divisions to adopt local policies and procedures establishing a "cellphone-free education" in Virginia.
Many school divisions in the commonwealth and across the country have already begun implementing such policies, including Loudoun, Fairfax and Stafford counties.
The executive order mandates Virginia public school divisions establish a cellphone-free education by Jan. 1 of next year.
Parents, educators and community members are invited to attend a “Commonwealth Conversation” to discuss their thoughts and expectations for the upcoming policy changes.
Below is a list of the upcoming events:
Fredericksburg, James Monroe High School – July 30, 9-10:30 a.m.
Waynesboro – Kate Collins Middle School – July 31, 10-11:30 a.m.
Roanoke – Northside High School – July 31, 4-5:30 p.m.
Abingdon – Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center – Aug. 1, 3-4:30 p.m.
Keysville – Southside Virginia Community College Keysville Campus Workforce Development Center – Aug. 2, 1:30-3 p.m.
Midlothian – Chesterfield County Public Schools Career and Technical Center – Aug. 6, 4-5:30 p.m.
Virginians who would like to register to attend events can visit the cellphone-free education webpage on the Virginia Department of Education’s website at doe.virginia.gov.
Authors bio info, taken from Inside Nova story
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Too bad they didn’t time these meetings so they’d be more working parent friendly.
I hope to see a report on how well attended Fredericksburg’s ends up being.