By Heather Michon
Correspondent
Fluvanna County School Board members spent some time at its recent meeting focusing on the district’s cell phone policy in light of a Virginia Department of Education directive to restrict student cell phone use as much as possible during the school day. The board met on July 9.
They were skeptical that the VDOE’s preferred “bell-to-bell” policy, which would prohibit use not only in the classroom but in the hallways and during lunch and recess, was even feasible, particularly among high school students.
“I think it is a fool’s errand and unnecessary to bar students in the high school from having their phones in between classes,” said James Kelley (Palmyra), who was participating in the meeting remotely.
“Every time I’m at the high school, my phone doesn’t work,” said Andrew Pullen (Columbia). “So I don’t understand who’s using their phones at school, unless they’re on the internet, and then that’s restricted.”
Danny Reed (Fork Union) argued that the policy was not robust enough, as it did not deal with other distractions, like Chromebooks and smartwatches.
“If this bill included that, I’d be fantastically supportive of doing that because kids email all day long on their Chromebooks in the classroom,” he said. “So great, cell phones are gone. When are we going to address kids at the middle school emailing kids at Carysbrook?”
No final decisions were made, and work on refining the policy will continue in future meetings.
Soares replaces Grasser
Gemma Soares has been appointed as the executive director for instruction and finance, replacing outgoing administrator Brenda Grasser.
A 20-year veteran of Fluvanna County Public Schools and currently the director of elementary and federal programs, Soares stood out among a statewide slate of candidates.
Three new assistant principals will also be joining the district: Pam Wishert at Central Elementary, and Ron Silverman and Keith Ellen at Fluvanna Middle School.
The announcements came midway through the July meeting of the Fluvanna County School Board, its first since early May.
The June 11 meeting was cancelled at the last minute for lack of a quorum, as three members were unable to attend. During public comments, some community members criticized the failure of those members to fulfill their duties as elected officials.
VSBA
Another lengthy discussion focused on the district’s membership in the Virginia School Board Association (VSBA).
VSBA is a membership organization for school districts around the Commonwealth. Membership includes professional and leadership development for school board members, advocating for public education policy on the state level, model school policy, policy reviews, and other legal services. These services can relieve smaller school districts of considerable work and legal costs, particularly when it comes to policy compliance.
Pullen has been a vocal critic of the VSBA and seeks alternatives each year as membership comes up for renewal. This year, he asked Gretz to research districts that do not belong to the VSBA or any other membership organization.
However, the board later voted 4-1 to approve the 2025-2026 membership, with the understanding that they could cancel mid-year if a better option came to light.
