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By Teena Monteleone

'Personal electronic device policy'

When it comes to banning cellphones, the P.A. kids are not alright

Sep 5, 2024 | 5:00 PM

Just a few days into the new school year and students at Saskatchewan’s largest high school have already made up their minds about the province’s ban on cellphones during class time:

“It sucks,” said Grade 11 student Lillian Roy. “It’s not fair cause there are students that always used their phones during class and students that didn’t… and now the students that didn’t use it are getting consequences for students who were.”

At the beginning of each class, students at Carlton Comprehensive Public High School in Prince Albert, which had more than 1,700 enrolled last year, are asked to put their phones in a box that is then locked up until the end of class.

“If they were like ‘Hey, I see your phone – give it here’ that’s fine. But at the start of class they’re like ‘phones in the bucket!’ and that just irritates everyone,” said Grade 10 student Finn Roode.

Another Grade 10 student that spoke to paNOW, Kaylee Head said, “I don’t really like it cause I can’t check the time or like see if I got any messages from my parents.”

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The new measures announced last month apply to all Kindergarten to Grade 12 schools in the province. In Grades 9 to 12, teachers will be able to seek an exemption from administration to allow cellphone use by students during class when needed for a specific instructional purpose. Exemptions can be made for students with specific learning needs, medical conditions or emergencies as well. Ultimately, each school board is responsible for making their own decisions on how they enforce the cellphone ban in their schools.

At Carlton, students were presented with a ‘Personal Electronic Device (PED) Procedures’ document. An email to parents said the new policies are intended to lessen the negative impacts of PED in classrooms and support the creation of welcoming, effective, connected classrooms.

“We aim to have classrooms where students are focused on their learning and engaged with their classmates,” the email from admin read.

The PED guidelines at Carlton include cellphones, smart watches, portable video game systems, earbuds and other handheld electronic devices. Smartwatches can still be worn, but must be turned off in airplane mode.

If a student is using their PED during instructional time, the consequence for a first offence is simply having it taken away until the end of class. A second offence has the PED taken to the office where the student can pick it up at the end of the day. The teacher will also make contact with the guardian. A third offence means administration will contact the student’s guardian and arrange for them to pick up the phone. For subsequent offences, Carlton administration will work with the student and family to create an ‘Accommodation Plan’ which would likely include the student needing to turn the PED into the office at the beginning of the school day. If a student refuses to turn in their cellphone, they will be sent to the office to see their vice-principal.

“Technology has its place, but too often, cellphones are taking students’ attention away from what they should be learning,” Education Minister Jeremy Cockrill said when the ban was announced. “This new policy will allow students to be more engaged with their teachers and focused on learning the skills and knowledge they need to reach their potential.”

While the majority of students aren’t pleased with the provincial cellphone ban, not everyone thinks it’s horrible. In fact, Grade 11 student Ellis Locke said he feels like it’s probably a good thing.

“I like being on my phone, so it’s kinda hard, but it is definitely helping me get work done and classes go by faster and with less distractions,” Locke said. “And everyone gets their phone taken, so its not like it’s an unfair deal. I think overall, it’s kind of a good thing.”

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panews@pattisonmedia.com