Governor recognizes MHS principal for phone ban

Middlesex High School (MHS) Principal Susan Fleet was honored last week on the floor of the Virginia General Assembly by Gov. Glenn Youngkin for the trailblazing efforts by the MHS staff to eliminate cell phones from the high school.

Gov. Youngkin has been calling for a cell phone-free environment in all K-12 (kindergarten through 12th grade) public schools across the state. Middlesex County Public Schools was one of the first school systems in the state to implement a bell-to-bell cell phone ban in schools.

During the state of the union speech, Youngkin said “every school division will have a cell phone-free environment” and now there are 100 school divisions using bell-to-bell standards.

He stated that many divisions across the state that attempted half measures (bans on cell phones) and found it unsuccessful have now gone bell-to-bell.

“We know local leadership is critical,” said Youngkin. “At Middlesex High School, the principal is tracking a dramatic decrease in disciplinary referrals… and reports that lunch in the cafeteria is loud once again because students are talking to each other instead of buried in their phones. Please welcome (MHS) Principal Susan Fleet, who is working so hard to help our students succeed,” said Gov. Youngkin.