Vindman, Kiggans cross aisle in bid to get phones out of classrooms

Rep. Eugene Vindman, D-7th , and Rep. Jen Kiggans, R-2nd , are top targets of each other's political party in next year's congressional midterm elections, but they are making a common cause of getting cellphones out of school classrooms.

Vindman and Kiggans have introduced a pair of bills in the U.S. House of Representatives to provide incentives to schools that prohibit cellphones in classrooms from the first bell in the morning to the last bell in the afternoon.

One, the Unplugged Schools Act, would create a federal grant program for K-12 schools that choose to ban cellphones bell-to-bell. The other, the Mission Unplugged Act, would require schools run overseas by the Department of Defense for children of military personnel to adopt such policies for their classrooms.

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In October 2024, the National Conference of State Legislators reported that at least 27 states and Puerto Rico had introduced legislation related to cellphone use in schools and nine states have enacted such measures since 2023. State education agencies and state boards of education in at least 11 states had acted regarding cellphone use in schools.

Vindman, serving his first term in Congress after a 25-year career in the U.S. Army, introduced legislation earlier this year to require schools to ban phones in classrooms, but the bills he's co-sponsoring with Kiggans take a different approach.

"There's no stick. There's no mandates," he said in an interview on Friday. "It's all incentives."

Youngkin's push

Getting cellphones out of classrooms already has bipartisan appeal in Virginia. After Gov. Glenn Youngkin signed an executive order last July to require localities to adopt "bell-to-bell" policies for their public schools, the General Assembly adopted a pair of bills, introduced by Democrats, to make the policy law. The Republican governor signed the bills in early April and then conducted a ceremonial signing at a school in Hopewell late last month.

Gov. Glenn Youngkin, shown in January, issued an executive order in July 2024 calling for cellphone-free education. He said cellphones and social media are contributing to a mental health crisis among adolescents and detracting from their education.

Vindman had worked before with Kiggans, a former U.S. Navy helicopter pilot, on bipartisan legislation. They both represent congressional districts with a high concentration of military families and both serve on the House Armed Services Committee.

Earlier this year, they teamed up on legislation with Rep. Rob Wittman, R-1st, to exempt military spouses from President Donald Trump's executive order sending federal workers back in the office and limiting remote work. Trump's personnel agency ultimately created an exemption for remote work agreements for spouses of active-duty military members.

Vindman and Kiggans both represent political swing districts, one in Northern Virginia and one in Hampton Roads. That makes them targets of the other party as Democrats try to retake control of the House and Republicans seek to expand their narrow majority in congressional elections in 2026.

"As a mom of four, I’ve seen firsthand how important it is to create learning environments where students can focus, stay engaged, and succeed," Kiggans said in a statement. "That’s why I’m proud to work across the aisle with Rep. Vindman to give school districts the tools and incentives they need to reduce cellphone use during school hours. This isn’t about politics — it’s about helping kids learn and thrive."

Vindman, whose daughter recently graduated from middle school in Prince William County and whose son attends the College of William & Mary, said he approaches the issue first as a father.

With his daughter about to enter high school, "I see her and the phone every day," he said. "It's irritating when she's got it even during dinner."

Vindman, like Youngkin and first lady Suzanne Youngkin, relies heavily on the work of social psychologist Jonathan Haidt, author of "The Anxious Generation." Haidt has become a national advocate for getting cellphones out of classrooms to improve student mental health, educational success and the students' ability to pay attention.

"It's almost a blinding flash of the obvious," the congressman said.

School systems in the city of Richmond and Chesterfield, Hanover and Henrico counties restrict students' cellphone use during the school day. Vindman conducted an education roundtable on the issue in Fredericksburg earlier this year and heard strong support for banning cellphones.

His initial "Unplugged" legislation would have required "bell-to-bell" phone bans, with the same exceptions as in the new state law for students with disabilities or other needs, such as lack of English language proficiency, that could require technical aids.

Vindman decided to take a different approach after hearing from other representatives in the House. "Some of my colleagues had an issue with the mandate," he said.

So, he and Kiggans instead proposed a federal grant program, for which Congress would provide "such sums as necessary" to help schools pay for secure storage of phones during school days, train teachers and work with parents.

The second bill would require "bell-to-bell phone-free policies" at Defense Department Education Activity schools. "These schools, which serve the children of U.S. military personnel stationed across the globe, would become leaders in restoring in-class focus and reducing screen time" during school hours, the representatives said in their joint release.

"As a father, I spend a lot of time thinking about the kind of world we're building for our kids — and it all starts with what we're teaching them in the classroom," Vindman said in the announcement. "I'm proud to be leading bipartisan legislation with Congresswoman Kiggans to help students unplug."

From the Archives: Mills E. Godwin High School

Mills E. Godwin High School

08-16-1980 (cutline): Mills E. Godwin High School, 2101 Pump Road Henrico, has capacity for 1,200 students and modern features.

Mills E. Godwin High School

07-28-1980: Mills E. Godwin High School science lab.

Mills E. Godwin High School

07-28-1980 (cutline): Student TV Studio is part of new school's facility. Alan Dessenberger(principal), Randy Patterson check lights.