'Had to be done:' New cellphone rules in effect as District 60 schools prepare to reopen

FORT ST. JOHN -- In a week, students will be returning to the classroom, but there will be some big changes, especially when it comes to cellphone use.

On September 3^RD, new device restrictions will be enforced across the 22 schools in District 60.

“It’s more in the middle and secondary schools where it will feel like there’s more consistent application of those rules,” said Dr. Stephen Petrucci, Superintendent of Schools for District 60.

For middle school students, devices must be kept out of the classroom and in their lockers, with access to their phones only during the lunch break. In high schools, investments have been made to ensure students remain off their phones during class.

“They’ve purchased a number of cabinets so that when students come into the classroom, they will place their phones in those cabinets and not access them during instructional time,” said Petrucci.

The school district says there’s been overwhelming support from parents for the new restrictions. However, enforcing the bans will lie in the hands of teachers.

"As a province, we set out the expectation. Our expectation is a ban on cellphones from bell to bell. How that’s implemented in an individual classroom by an individual teacher—we’re relying on the expertise and knowledge of that teacher,” said Premier David Eby in a press conference.

British Columbia isn’t the only province that will see the change come the first day of school, with restrictions varying across the country depending on the province.

In Fort St. John, a gradual approach to discipline for those found breaking the new rules will be in place as students ease into a new classroom reality.

“Teachers work through all kinds of discipline and rules all the time, so there’s nothing new there. Similar to other infractions, there would be a progressive type of consequences in terms of talking with the students, contacting the family, and then there are consequences that follow from that,” said Petrucci.

Provincially mandated bans were announced earlier this year to support student learning and protect them from online harms. Petrucci says his own survey of secondary students overwhelmingly pointed to social media having a negative impact on students.

“There’s a knowledge among our youth that sometimes the technology is so addictive, the algorithms are so purposeful in terms of sucking in our young people, and all of us, that something had to be done,” Petrucci said in an interview with CJDC-TV.

The cellphone ban will look to encourage more peer-to-peer engagement among students, with social-emotional learning (SEL) staff being made further available through the district to support mental health.

“At a certain point, when the distractions and the social conflict and the sort of rewiring of the brains that are going on with technology, we have a responsibility to approach it differently.”

Certain devices, including Chromebooks, computer labs, and iPads, will continue to be used in schools, with the district recognizing the importance of students using modern technology.

When it comes to concerns over safety, such as potential lockdowns, the district has procedures in place to mitigate any risk to students. They are asking that they be the first point of contact for parents should a situation arise.