Texting and Facebook friendships between students and teachers may soon be banned in Arlington County. The school district is drafting a new policy for preventing sexual misconduct and abuse, designed to keep up with state guidelines issued earlier this year. But school board members sent their staff back to the drawing board last week, worried that the draft rules would prevent normal relationships between students and teachers. The draft would not allow teachers to text students using their personal phones or to interact with them on social networks.

Vice Chairman Emma Violand Sanchez said she often texts the students she mentors to ask such things as, “When are you coming to the office?”