Lynchburg schools report mixed early results from new cell‑phone policy; teachers report classroom gains

Lynchburg City Schools administrators and principals on Tuesday reported early, mixed results from a new districtwide cell‑phone policy that went into effect in January.

District administrator Dr. Brown presented survey results showing teachers who responded reported improved student attention and engagement, while the majority of students and parents reported no change or were slightly negative about social and mental‑health impacts.

The surveys, Brown said, included about 1,400 student responses, 468 parent responses and 69 educator responses. "We are providing a handout for some survey results that we sent out," Brown told the board. He summarized results: teachers who responded generally reported positive effects on classroom focus…