Kids won’t have to worry about their Insta posts or talk on TikTok when they go back to class this year because Delta School District’s new cellphone policy is in place.
That means cellphones, tablets, smartwatches, e-toys and earbuds are banned for the entire school day, in class or not, for kids in grades 1 to 7. The ban includes recess, lunch and field trips.
For secondary school students, the ban covers instructional or classroom time, including flex time and field trips, unless explicitly required for educational purposes by the teacher.
However, students can get on their phones during lunch breaks and during breaks between classes.
For parents or caregivers wondering about how to contact their kids during an emergency, the policy is old school: they will have to call the school office.
The policy was developed upon direction of the provincial government in January, part of a trio of steps the government was taking to protect students from cyber crimes.
The other two steps included launching services to remove images from the internet and pursue predators; and introducing legislation to hold social media companies responsible for the harm they have caused.
The Ministry of Education and Child Care said then that it will work with school districts to ensure all schools have policies in place by September to limit cellphone use.
“Having cellphones in the classroom can be a distraction from the kind of focused learning we want kids to experience at school,” said Rachna Singh, Minister of Education and Child Care.
Delta superintendent Doug Sheppard said that research shows that cellphone interruptions, social media and online predators all “present significant risks to young people.”
The new policy aims to help student mental health and their ability to focus on learning, he added.
The note to parents from last June said that teachers will continue teaching digital literacy and promoting online safety “… and to develop lifelong, healthy habits around technology and social media use in their every day lives.”
However, kids with diverse abilities or with health-related requirements still will be able to use their mobile devices.
“Schools will be reminding parents and students of these changes as students return to school,” said Cathryn Tucker, director of communications for the school district.
