Cell Phone Policy Guidance

• Phones and phone accessories, such as AirPods and earbuds, must be in security pouches (high schools) or off and in backpacks or another location in the classroom under the control of the teacher (middle and elementary schools) for the duration of the school day.
• Cell phones and other personal electronic devices may be used on school grounds only before and after school.
• Smart watches and other wearable devices may be worn, but features equivalent to those on a smartphone, including texting and phone calls, are to be off when cellphone use is prohibited.
• Students are also prohibited from using personal devices in restrooms and locker rooms, unless there is a medical necessity or emergency.

• Students must comply with staff directives and the provisions of this policy to avoid disruption of the educational environment, or they may be subject to disciplinary actions.
• Parents/guardians should not contact their student on their personal wireless communication devices during the school day. Parents/guardians should contact the office with urgent messages for students and the office will facilitate communication.
• The student is responsible for adhering to these guidelines and always securing their belongings. Classes and/or instruction will not be stopped to resolve or search for a lost personal wireless communication device.

Students are not allowed to create, access, or share content that is incompatible with a K-12 educational environment. Examples include:

• Students are prohibited from using phones, tablets, and other mobile devices in restrooms and locker rooms, unless there is a medical necessity or emergency.
• Phones and other personal devices cannot be used to photograph or audio or video record students, staff, or other Arlington Public Schools community members on school property unless directed by a teacher for a specific instructional purpose.
• Students are prohibited from sharing content that is obscene, contains profanity, or that involves or threatens illegal acts.
• Content that bullies, harasses, threatens, or degrades others is strictly prohibited
• Teachers, administrators, and staff members may allow the use of cell phones, smart watches, airpods, earbuds, or video-recording devices when appropriate for a specific instructional purpose, however the devices provided by APS meet most needs.

• School staff shall first request that a student turn off and put away their personal devices, including cellphones. If a student complies, no further action is needed.
• If a student does not comply or must be requested to turn off and put away their device either multiple times within one class period or consistently across multiple class periods, the teacher or instructional staff may make a referral to the appropriate administrator in the student information system. Administrative team members include principals, assistant principals, deans, or directors of counseling.
• The administrator will respond to the referral in alignment with Arlington Public Schools Code of Conduct procedures. In alignment with those procedures, the device may be confiscated by an administrator who will request that the parent/guardian come in to collect the device and have a discussion about the student’s noncompliance.
• If noncompliance continues, progressive measures of discipline will be used as alternatives to suspension to the maximum extent possible in consultation with the Director of School Climate & Culture or designee.

The Your Voice Matters survey asked about cell phone use and the use of pouches to secure phones during the day.

Survey highlights include:

• 85% of staff at schools piloting the pouch program believe the cell phone policy helps manage use, compared to 65% at non-pilot schools.
• 39% of staff at non-pilot high schools find it difficult to manage student cell phone use, compared to 13% at pilot high schools.
• Over 80% of families at both pilot and non-pilot schools agree that cell policies have been clearly communicated.

See the full report here

A survey running from Oct 18-Nov 1, 2024, gathered feedback from students, staff and families on the current implementation of cell phone rules in schools. The survey focused on the following areas:

• The use of cell phones during school hours, impact on instruction and classroom engagement,
• The impact on social interactions,
• The impact on classroom management, and
• The communication of school policies/rules.

Data for each survey was disaggregated by those associated with a school in a pilot pouch program and those not involved in the pilot program. An additional analysis was conducted to look and results for Middle School vs. High School. Open-ended questions were included in the family and staff surveys and have been analyzed to identify major themes across responses.

Read the survey results here.

Survey questions will be asked again to students, staff and families in February in the Your Voice Matters climate survey, so further understand any changes regarding the implementation or cell phone rules in schools.

On Dec. 12, 2025, the School Board approved Policy J-30 Student Use of Cell Phones and Personal Electronic Devices. In accordance with Virginia Department of Education guidance and Governor Youngkin’s Executive Order, the new policy requires all student phones and personal devices to be off and away for the entire school day at all grade levels. Effective Jan. 6, 2025:

• All APS students will be required to turn their phones and devices off and put them away for the entire school day.
• High schools will designate a particular room where students can access their phones to receive and send messages at a designated period of time during the day.
• Students who require the use of their phone or device as an accommodation or for a medical need may make requests through their 504 plan, Individualized Education Plan or Individualized Health Care Plan.
• In the event of an emergency, students who can safely access their phones will be able to use them.

Most high schools will use pouches beginning in the 2025-26 school year. This includes the three comprehensive high schools, Washington-Liberty, Wakefield and Yorktown, as well as the Arlington Career Center and H-B Woodlawn.

The Langston High School Continuation Program and Arlington Community High School will maintain a limited supply of pouches to use if individual students need additional assistance managing their personal devices during the school day.

Middle schools will also follow this model to provide pouches for student use, as needed. Elementary schools will continue to reinforce our policies to put devices away for the day and there will be no pouches at the elementary level.

Elementary and middle schools will continue to enforce the bell-to-bell away for the day policies that went into effect in the 2024-25 school year.

At the middle school level, students will not be required to use pouches. However, middle schools will have a small supply of pouches to use as needed, for students who need extra support with managing their use of personal devices during the school day. For instance, if a teacher repeatedly needs to remind the same student of the requirements or has to confiscate a student’s device due to inappropriate use, that student may be required to use the pouch. 

During the pilot conducted in the 2024-25 school year, the pouches proved to be a valuable tool, particularly at the high school level, in effectively removing personal devices and ensuring that device management end policy enforcement did not become an added distraction for our teachers and staff, so that they could focus on instruction. This is part of APS schools’ overall efforts to ensure students’ personal devices remain off and away from bell to bell, as required by APS policy per the Virginia Department of Education.

Students who have a 504 plan or an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) should request accommodations through their student’s case carrier. Students who currently require access to a cell phone or another device for medical reasons will continue to have such access. Students who are granted an accommodation will be provided Velcro pouches that can be accessed, as needed. 

Cell phone rules and pouches are only used during the school day between the first bell and the last bell of the day. ease contact your child’s school regarding its policy for after-school programming.

Every student at the high schools and programs that are implementing pouches in the 2025-26 school year will be provided a personally assigned pouch at no cost to families.  High school students will bring their pouches to school with them each day. The pouch is the responsibility of the student for the entire year.

1. As students arrive at school, they will place their phones on silent or airplane mode upon entry to the building.
2. Smart Watches do not need to be secured in the pouch but must be placed in silent or airplane mode.
3. Pouches will then be placed inside their backpacks and secured.
4. The cell phone policy will be enforced from bell to bell each school day for all grade levels. Students will maintain possession of their phones and will not use them until their pouches are opened at the end of the school day at an unlocking station.
5. When leaving school, students will use a base to unlock their pouch and retrieve their phone.

Phones never leave the possession of the students, unless confiscated for failure to comply with guidelines and expectations.

If a student damages their pouch, school staff will collect the phone/pouch and send it to the front office for the remainder of the school day. If a student damages or loses their pouch, the student will be charged a $30 replacement fee. 

If a student forgets their pouch, they can get a replacement pouch for the day at the front office. They must return the pouch at the end of the day. If a student consistently forgets their pouch, it will be considered lost. Parents/guardians will be notified, and a replacement pouch will be provided at the student’s expense. 

The student may return to school to unlock their phone before the last late bus leaves. Otherwise, they will have to wait until the next morning.

Students can unlock their devices at school just before an approved early dismissal. If they need to return to school, the pouch will be locked upon re-entry. Administrators will all have unlocking devices on hand, and there will also be stationary unlocking stations near all entrances and exits.

To reach your student, contact your school’s front office. 

Our students and staff regularly practice lockdown drills and are directed to follow our emergency response plans. Every classroom is equipped with a phone intercom in case of emergency. All schools have an extensive intrusion alarm system, which is monitored 24/7. School staff (including School Safety Coordinators) will have cell phones.

Individual teachers will not be able to unlock the pouches. The goal of the pouches is to take the management of personal devices out of teachers’ hands so they can focus on instruction. All administrators will have a portable unlocking pad in the event it is needed.

We understand the concerns and fears families have. Safety is our top priority, and law enforcement officials have reported that cell phones create a distraction for students that can compromise their safety during an emergency. Students communicating with their cell phones during a campus emergency can alert an intruder to their location.

Additionally:

• Students on their phones are not focused on life-saving directives from teachers, emergency management communication systems and first responders.
• Students can spread misinformation that confuses critical life-saving decision-making.
• The flurry of communication can jam cellular networks, preventing critical life-saving information from getting through.

Our schools have well-researched emergency management plans that will ensure students can reach their parents as soon as possible after an all-clear is called. The following is typically addressed in those plans to get students access to their phones as quickly as possible.

• If sheltering in place, upon all clear, all the magnets being stored in the office (both bases that have been unscrewed from wall mounts and handhelds) are walked classroom to classroom by all available staff.  A classroom of 30 can be unlocked in less than 60 seconds.
• In the event of evacuation, handheld unlocking stations will be used by administrators to assist students in unlocking their pouches.

We are reviewing each facility to determine the right quantity of unlocking station locations in each school to maintain a safe and timely dismissal process at each school. Unlocking stations will be located near primary entrances and exits to allow for quick, hassle-free unlocking prior to dismissal. Additionally, all administrators will have the ability to assist students and staff with unlocking them as needed.

Pouches will be delivered to high schools when the new school year begins. Each school will communicate the process for pouch distribution along with expectations. 

No. Students cannot opt out. However, exemptions will be considered to accommodate students with IEPs and/or medical reasons.

To ensure maximum lifetime use, there may be periodic inspection of pouches to ensure they are in working order. When that happens, we will provide prior notice to staff and families. 

After a referral is submitted, the administrator will respond in alignment with Arlington Public Schools Code of Conduct procedures. The device may be confiscated by an administrator who will request that the parent/guardian come in to collect the device and have a discussion about the student’s noncompliance. If noncompliance continues, progressive measures of discipline will be used as alternatives to suspension to the maximum extent possible, and consultation should be had with the Office of School Culture and Climate.

APS collected feedback and survey data from all APS schools on the new cell phone procedures at the mid-year point and as part of the Your Voice Matters spring 2025 survey. Additionally, APS gathered feedback from school administrators throughout the pilot program. This data allowed APS to assess feedback which indicated that the pouches greatly supported the goals of the new policies at the high school level.

APS invested $115,750 to procure the additional pouches. The original pouch pilot school supply is also being repurposed for the upcoming school year.

APS will continue to use pouches from Yondr, the same provider of pouches for the pilot program.