How will cellphones be managed in B.C. classrooms?

With the school year getting underway in less than two weeks, it appears teachers in B.C. will be responsible for setting guidelines and policing the use of cellphones in their classrooms.

This comes after the provincial government announced in January that it was enhancing measures in a bid to help protect children from “online threats.”

The B.C. government said at the time that research shows “frequent cell phone interruption in the classroom, social media platforms with addictive algorithms and predators who seek to exploit young children all present significant risk to young people.”

However, parents may be wondering how the restricted use will be enforced.

“We think in B.C., there’s long been policies in districts about cellphone use and, in most schools, that is an issue that is best dealt with at the district level or even at the schoolroom level, class by class,” explained BC Teachers’ Federation President Clint Johnston.

He adds teachers have the “autonomy” to call the shots in their classrooms, and rules around cellphone use fall under that umbrella.

“It’s a complex issue. Some of them really enjoy using that technology and having it in the classroom to supplement the way their students are learning and to help support it. Some of them find it a distraction and would rather they’re not in there,” Johnston explained.

That means your child may be allowed access in one class but not another, and they’ll have to adjust accordingly. The BCTF tells 1130 NewsRadio it doesn’t feel the lack of concrete rules across the board is harmful.

Johnston says if students or parents don’t like it, they can take their complaints to the principal.

“It’s like a lot of things in the classroom, there’s a lot of context in the classroom where teachers will find what works for them and let the students know what the guidelines are, and we hope and expect that students follow those guidelines,” he said.

Johnston says there’s something else that’s a major concern when it comes to cellphones in schools: inequity.

“There’s a presumption that every child in the province has easy access to modern technology and cellphones, therefore, if you are using them in the classroom, everyone’s got one and that’s not true. So, like a lot of things in education, we think if those are going to be part of what’s being used, there needs to be a plan to address those inequities for students,” he said.

In June, the Vancouver School Board announced students from kindergarten to Grade 7 will have to keep their personal devices “on silent and out of sight,” to help “promote a focused learning environment.”