Mission students, teachers and parents can now provide feedback on restrictions for cell phones and artificial intelligence in schools.
At a Mission Public School District (MPSD) board of education meeting on Tuesday (March 12), a policy was approved in principle for student use of technology.
“While technology can be a tremendous asset that supports diverse learners and removes barriers to inclusion, it is also recognized that it can be used to bully, harm, distract, or disrupt in the learning environment,” the district’s new policy reads.
In late January, Premier David Eby said the province would ask school districts across the province to develop policies restricting cellphone use during instructional time.
Under Mission’s new policy, the use of technology in classrooms will be at the discretion of the teacher. It’s expected that usage will be limited in elementary schools but will increase as studies progress. Devices can’t be taken into tests or exams and will also be prohibited in change rooms, washrooms, or private counselling rooms for privacy reasons.
Students must also disclose the use of artificial intelligence software and have it approved by the teacher.
The policy says teachers or school administration can confiscate cell phones or digital devices if students break the technology rules. The confiscated items would be returned to the student after a conference with the parent, student, and school personnel.
MPSD superintendent Angus Wilson says phones would likely only be confiscated after repeated behaviour.
“This is a part that teachers and principals don’t look forward to because people get very possessive and addicted to their phones, so it will depend,” he said.
“In some schools, they actually will take [phones] away for quite long periods of time on this premise that it’s not appropriate for the learning environment. But these are expensive devices — parents have usually spent a lot of money to get them for their kids and so we don’t want them lost or damaged … but we’re hoping that families and students will honour the idea that they’re not in the classroom space.”
Cell phones and other devices can be used during non-instructional times, including before class, during breaks, lunchtime and after school.
According to the policy, students are expected to become responsible “digital citizens” while using technology to enhance their education. MPSD supports the use of technology that plays a role in the education of students — including computers, laptops, smart boards, projectors and cell phones.
MPSD has already received some internal feedback on the policy.
Meanwhile, the Mission District Parents’ Advisory Council (DPAC) voted at the November meeting in support of advocating for a policy to cover both technology brought from home for school use and social media use.
Wilson says a special effort will be made to reach out to students because they’ll be most impacted.
“What happens now is it goes out to everybody, everybody then gives us feedback and we chop it up, put it back together again. Towards the end of the school year, we’ll have it finalized,” Wilson said.
The deadline for additional comments is April 20. The survey is available online at engagempsd.ca.
READ MORE: Mission school district evaluates cell phone restrictions