Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Back To School topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Petersburg superintendent outlines back‑to‑school plans, enforces ‘bell‑to‑bell’ cell‑phone rule
Summary
Superintendent Yolanda Brown welcomed students to the 2025–26 school year, described summer facility work and new curricular materials, said the district will spend its first full year using a newly adopted instructional framework, and said PCPS will enforce a Virginia ‘bell‑to‑bell’ cell‑phone‑free rule with assigned Yonder pouches.
Superintendent Yolanda Brown welcomed students and families to the 2025–26 school year on behalf of Petersburg City Public Schools, highlighting summer facility work, new curricular resources and a districtwide instructional framework that the district will now implement for the first full year.
"I am Yolanda Brown, your very proud superintendent," Brown said as she opened the address on behalf of the PCPS school board and the district team. She said staff spent the summer preparing school buildings, stating, "We have power washed, painted, and deep cleaned all of our schools so that our students are ready to learn in a safe and clean environment."
Brown announced curricular investments, saying the district "has ordered new high quality curricular resources in grades K through 12 in math and grades 6 through 12 in English language arts." She also said last year the district developed an instructional framework "that outlines what teachers and students should be doing instructionally in every single classroom every day," and that 2025–26 will be "our very first full school year of implementing our instructional framework."
On student conduct and classroom focus, Brown tied district policy to state law: "Petersburg City Public Schools continues to be a cell phone free and portable communications device free environment in alignment with the new Virginia state law that requires bell to bell cell phone free education." She added a practical expectation for students: "All students will be expected to turn off their mobile devices and put them away in their assigned Yonder pouches so that they can focus and learn in an environment free from distractions."
Brown framed the year ahead as a continuation of recent gains, saying, "We did some great work over the last year, and I am extremely proud of what we've accomplished so far, but we have more to do." She concluded by encouraging readiness for the start of school: "So get ready, Petersburg. The new school year is coming, and we will see you soon."
The address contained no formal motions or votes; it was a superintendent's update outlining operational preparations, curriculum rollout plans and a reaffirmed device policy tied to state law. Families seeking more detail on the instructional framework, curricular adoptions or the mechanics of the cell‑phone policy (for example, how Yonder pouches will be distributed and managed) were not provided specific dates or procedures in the remarks and should contact PCPS for implementation details.
