On July 9, Gov. Glenn Youngkin issued Executive Order 33 requiring cell phone-free education in all schools in the Commonwealth. In the executive order, the Virginia Department of Education is required to define what cell phone-free education means. Now, the guidance is available. This is what cell-phone free schools means for each age group:

The guidelines define cell-phone free education as “bell-to-bell” – meaning phones should be turned off and stored away the entire school day – including during lunch and between class periods.

The Virginia Department of Education announced on Tuesday that it has published its final cell phone-free education guidelines. Two months ago, the governor directed the department to develop them to limit students’ time using “addictive” cell phones in schools and eliminate “clear distractions” in the classroom.