Fairfield Middle School implements temporary phone-free rule after rise in phone issues
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Students at Fairfield Middle School will have to keep their cell phones off and away for the entire school day starting April 7 until May 16, according to a social media message posted by the school April 4.
The new rule only applies to Fairfield Middle students, who returned from spring break this week, and was implemented to help limit distractions during the time period when students will be going through state Standards of Learning testing, according to Henrico Schools spokesperson Eileen Cox.
“This is not a policy change but rather a temporary adjustment to cell phone practices at the school to prepare for SOL testing,” Cox said. “This school-based decision impacts only students at Fairfield Middle School and is designed to avoid distractions and limit potential irregularities during SOL testing.”
All other Henrico middle- and high-schoolers will still follow the current divisionwide phone policy, which requires students to put phones away while in class, either in their backpacks or in classroom storage containers, but not during lunch or between classes.
Fairfield Middle staff implemented the change after seeing an uptick in phone-related problems, according to the social media post.
“We are experiencing an increase in student cell phone issues,” the post reads. “It is imperative that WE ALL work TOGETHER and remind our students of the expectation and the importance of focusing on academics.”
Students who violate the new rule will have their phone confiscated until a parent is able to pick up the device between 3:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. Students will no longer be able to pick up their own device because the practice has been “abused,” according to the school.
“Phones and any other confiscated items WILL NO longer be returned to students at the end of the day,” the post reads. “This practice has been abused and is no longer an option.”
The Henrico School Board will be reviewing the current division phone policy, which went into effect this past August, along with other policies in the HCPS Code of Student Conduct this May. The division has not yet adopted the “bell-to-bell” cell phone ban proposed by the Virginia Department of Education in August, which instructs students to have phones off and away from the first bell until the dismissal bell, including during lunch and between classes.
