Virginia is creating new school cell phone rules. Here's what it likely means for your children.

RICHMOND, Va. -- Governor Glenn Youngkin (R - Virginia) has called on school districts around the Commonwealth to adopt policies that would essentially ban students from having cell phones in classrooms. The Virginia Department of Education outlined the recommendations it planned to provide school systems around the state in a draft released this week.

While some students might be concerned about putting down their phones during the school day, most parents who spoke with CBS 6 after the draft's release supported the idea of cell phone free schools.

"I don't see any real reason why a child should need a cell phone in class," Matt Lano, the father of a first grade Richmond Public Schools student, said. "We try to minimize the screens."

As his daughter grows up, Lano said limited cell phone usage at school would be OK.

"The mental health statistics for especially young girls, is kind of dreadful," he said. "It all kind of started when the smartphone became sort of everywhere."

Mental health is one of reasons why Governor Youngkin pushed a "cell phone-free education" in Virginia's public schools.

He cited an "alarming mental health crisis" with anxiety and depression among youth driven by social media.

In newly-released draft guidance, the Department of Education said:

At the elementary school level, students would not be allowed to have cell phones in the building or on school grounds.

In middle and high schools, students would not be allowed on their phones during instructional time, lunch, or between periods. More flexibility would be allowed both before and after school.

"I don't see it as controversial at all, and most of the parents i know would probably agree with that," Lano said. "I mean, if there's an emergency, the school has ways of contacting parents."

Certain exemptions would apply to the rules for students with special circumstances and districts would publicly share emergency communication plans to outline crisis management and family notifications.

"Kids and phones are scary. They're not nice on phones. There's scary stuff on phones on the internet," parent Meg Debolt said. "Even if she's not interacting with other kids, like being bullied or anything like that, just the consumption of beauty gurus, people trying to do makeup and like… look at the bodies that are represented online. Is that going to be her body? I don't know."

That's why these parents believe the state is taking the right approach

"It doesn't seem to me like childhood has been improved at all by everyone having a phone all the time," Lano said.

The Department of Education is accepting feedback on its draft through September 15. School systems are expected to implement new cell phone rules in 2025.

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