After kicking off the new year, many FCHS policies have been updated or replaced by newer directives, and one of the most consequential ones is the new cell phone policy.

According to FCHS Administration, the new policy requires all cellular devices to be turned off and put away during class time. Phones should not be used during class time, in restrooms, offices, or the clinic. Students may only use them between classes, during lunch periods, and on the bus, unless doing so creates a disruption or potential safety issue. “In use” is defined as being in the hands of a student, and “lunch” is defined as sitting at a table in the lunch room, and does not include transitions to and from the cafeteria.

Furthermore, students are not allowed to take pictures or videos of others without their consent or record fights using cellular devices. Inappropriate use of a cell phone has consequences that vary in severity, depending on the circumstances or the number of previous phone offenses by the student.

According to school policy, first offenses will result in the cell phone being confiscated and turned into the main office for the student to pick up at the end of the school day. The second offense will result in the phone being confiscated, and the student being assigned after-school detention (ASD). In such cases, parents will have to pick up the phone from the office at the end of the school day. The third offense will lead to the phone being confiscated, the student being assigned a day of ISS, and parents having to pick up the phone from the office. Fourth offenses require a parent meeting with administrators to determine future cell phone privileges.

The new policy is a result of Executive Order 33, which was issued by Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin on July 9, 2025, to help bring phone-free education in Virginia schools.