The Fairfax County Public Schools in Virginia (FCPS) is launching a pilot program for several middle schools to prohibit students’ cellphone access during the school day, starting in the 2024-25 school year.

Seven schools will participate in the pilot program: Frost Middle School, Irving Middle School, Jackson Middle School, Poe Middle School, Robinson Middle School, Thoreau Middle School and Twain Middle School.

The schools “will be phone-free during the school day in order to limit classroom disruptions and improve student engagement and learning,” FCPS said on its website.

During the week of September 2, students attending schools in the pilot program will receive a cell phone storage pouch, called a Yondr pouch, which is magnetic and prevents students from using their phones, including for social media, text messages and phone calls.

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Students will be responsible for their own Yondr pouch and will bring it with them to school every day.

Upon arriving at school each morning, students will safely lock their phone in their Yondr pouch and carry it inside their backpack. Airpods must be secured in the pouch or placed in the students’ backpacks while smartwatches must be turned off or put on airplane mode.

In situations where there is a family emergency, parents may contact the school’s front office.

“The purpose of the pilot program is to create a more engaged learning environment for students, free of distraction from cell phones and social media,” FCPS said on its website. “Studies show that students who use their cell phones during instructional time focus less, learn less, and achieve lower grades.”

Students will be responsible for their own Yondr pouch and will bring it with them to school every day. (Getty Images)

The new cellphone policy will be enforced bell to bell each day at school.

Students will hold onto their phones throughout the day but will not use them until their pouches are opened at the end of the school day at a Yondr unlocking station.

If a student forgets their pouch, they must store their cellphone in the front office for the school day, and it will be returned to the student after school.

In the event that a student damages or loses their pouch, school staff will collect the phone or pouch and send it to the front office for the remainder of the school day, and the student will be assessed an $18 replacement fee.

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During the 2024-25 school year, seven schools will be participating in the pilot program. (AP Photo/Kiichiro Sato, File)

This comes after Virginia Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin signed an executive order last month directing the Virginia Department of Education “to draft guidance for public school divisions to adopt local policies and procedures establishing cell phone-free education.”

“The necessity of implementing cell-phone free education in Virginia’s K-12 public schools is increasingly evident,” Youngkin wrote in the order. “Parents, public health professionals, educators, and other stakeholders across the Commonwealth are expressing concern over the alarming mental health crisis and chronic health conditions affecting adolescents, such as depression and anxiety, driven in part by extensive social media usage and widespread cell phone possession among children.”

“Cellphone-free education will significantly reduce the amount of time students can be on phones without parental supervision,” he added.

Other school districts in Virginia and elsewhere, including California, New York, Texas and Georgia, have also begun implementing policies restricting cellphone use during the school day, with many utilizing the Yondr pouches.

A Florida inmate who was captured last week after faking an injury and escaping a hospital was able to flee from custody because the deputy tasked with guarding him was “likely sleeping,” according to authorities.

Flagler County Deputy Tyrique Harper resigned on Tuesday before the start of a former internal investigation into how 29-year-old Anthony Romine escaped from AdventHealth Palm Coast Hospital, prompting the facility to go on lockdown and a massive manhunt for the inmate, the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement.

“Witnesses indicate that Deputy Tyrique Harper was likely sleeping during the time of the escape and the inmate was not properly restrained in accordance to policy,” the sheriff’s office said.

Harper had been relieved of law enforcement duties immediately following the escape on July 27 while a preliminary review of the incident was being conducted.

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Romine was initially arrested on July 3 on a felony warrant for petty theft, violation of his pre-trial release and counterfeiting. He was later taken to a hospital after claiming he fell, an injury that investigators eventually determined he had faked in an effort to escape and return to Ohio, where he is originally from, authorities said. 

Anthony Romine, 29, seen after his capture and before his escape on security video.  (Flagler County Sheriff’s Office)

The manhunt lasted about seven hours until a Flagler County Sheriff’s K-9 team tracked Romine to a wooded area by a gas station in Flagler County. He was hiding underneath some foliage and underbrush, and video footage shows a K-9 dragging a screaming Romine out from the bushes.

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“Fortunately, Romine was apprehended, and no additional crimes were committed by him in his escape attempt,” said Mark Strobridge, chief of staff of the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office. 

Strobridge said that Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staly, pictured above, expects all deputies to follow the office’s policies, which includes not falling asleep on duty. (Flagler County Sheriff’s Office, File)

“Sheriff Staly expects all deputies will follow our policies and not sleep while on-duty,” Strobridge continued. “Our Agency motto is ‘An Honor to Serve, A Duty to Protect,’ and that did not occur in this incident by Deputy Harper.”

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After Romine’s capture, felony escape was added to the list of charges against him, as well as battery on a law enforcement officer without violence. 

Fox News’ Louis Casiano contributed to this report.

The Young Republicans National Federation’s footprint grew this week with the opening of a state chapter’s headquarters in Orlando, Florida.

The choice of office location was strategic as Republicans hope to flip the predominantly blue area red leading into the 2024 presidential election.

“Putting that investment into Orlando and doing twice the work in less time is going to help significantly,” Brandon Ludwig, a defense contractor and chairman of the Florida Young Republicans, told Fox News Digital over the phone.

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Ludwig, a fifth-generation Floridian, was elected chairman in June 2023.

There are more registered Democrats among active voters in Orange County, which includes the populous city of Orlando, than Republicans, according to the Orange County Supervisor of Elections website.

Orange County projects a population of 1,491,071 for 2024, according to the World Population Review.

As of July 12, 2024, there were 805,510 registered voters in Orange County, 214,177 of whom are registered Republicans, with 322,541 registered Democrats, according to the Florida Division of Elections.

“We are in a blue county, so if you look at the voter registration, about 39% are Democrat and 27% are Republican,” Erin Huntley, Orange County GOP chair, told Fox News Digital over the phone.

There are more registered Democrats than Republicans among active voters in Orange County, which includes the populous city of Orlando. (iStock)

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Huntley added that a voter registration analysis of Orange County from the last year provided data showing 10,000 voters registered as Republicans and only 2,000 registered Democrats.

“Things are shifting and when you see shifts in voter registration, it means there’s energy, appetite and momentum in our direction,” Huntley said.

Ludwig said the young generation of hospitality industry professionals in and around Orlando working for Disney and Universal are a central focus of the Young Republicans’ recruiting efforts.

“It’s going to allow us to reach out to those individuals and really start making inroads in Orlando’s many different diversities,” he said.

Florida is only the second state to open a Young Republican headquarters, after Waukesha, Wisconsin. The Young Republican National Federation headquarters is located in Washington, D.C.

Brandon Ludwig told Fox News Digital that Orlando is a focus for Young Republicans due to the many young employees at Disney and Universal. (2024 Wealth of Geeks)

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Ludwig and Huntley, among others, worked tirelessly to open a central space dedicated to campaigning, dividing and conquering as a mutual effort with the county’s GOP, in order to capitalize on the momentum of new Republican constituents.

“Orlando is the blue dot across a state that is turning red,” Ludwig said.

The Young Republicans’ mission is to recruit, train and elect the next generation of Republicans across the country. The Florida Young Republicans are focused on recruiting new members by door knocking and holding social and networking events, among other tactics.

“It’s a fantastic networking operation. We have a variety of individuals from different backgrounds. I personally don’t work in politics,” Ludwig said. “We have members of Congress who are Florida Young Republican members. We have former television stars who are members of our organization as well.”

Former President Trump and Ohio Sen. JD Vance are on the GOP ticket for the 2024 presidential elections. (Fox News)

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In 2022, Ludwig said eight chapters and 300 members made up the organization across the Sunshine State. Today, he effused pride that the Young Republicans boast 20 chapters and over 1,000 members.

“Tampa is growing,” Ludwig said. “In the Tampa area, we have seen a lot of people who have moved from California and some of those northern states who have joined. It’s really, really interesting because many of these people had not previously been in politics, but they left their states because of politics.”

Ludwig added that while Young Republicans stress a number of political issues where change is coveted, the rising cost of living and inflation are at the forefront of members’ minds.

Former President Trump speaks in Wisconsin, which is regarded as a “toss-up” state this year. (Fox News )

“Young people, who are my age, are stuck renting, and they don’t know if they’re going to be able to buy a house,” Ludwig said. “There are other issues, too, but that’s the one that we consistently hear the most.”

While the new Florida headquarters will be dedicated to driving awareness around the area and across the state, Ludwig said Orlando, as an international port of call, holds promise to broadcast organizational awareness outside the state, too.

“For us, our impact is largely going to be here in Florida,” Ludwig said.

“[Orlando] is a major conference destination, and it’s going to allow us to do a better job of reaching out to people,” he added. “I think that’s where you’ll see a state and national impact.”