Rocky View Schools (RVS) announced today new procedures regarding student's personal mobile devices and social media in schools that will “put learning first.”
Beginning September 3, the first day of the new school year for RVS students, Administrative Procedure 148 will take effect, aligning RVS with new provincial government standards on cell phones in classrooms that were first introduced in early June.
RVS is encouraging students to leave their personal mobile devices at home and if they choose to bring them to school, they must be “out of sight and turned off or silenced.”
The Administrative Procedure states that Students cannot use their personal mobile device in school during instructional time unless specially authorized by their school’s administrator or their teacher for educational purposes. This also includes any personal electronic device that can be used to communicate with or access the internet.
The new Procedure also states students with health or medical reasons or special learning needs may be granted permission to use personal mobile devices during instructional time, but only upon completion of a special form indicated in the student’s Individualized Program Plan.
Students will also not have access to social media platforms over the school’s Wi-Fi network and are not permitted to access it at school using their own data plans. According to the school division, this is to ensure students remain “focused on educational tasks.”
“RVS is committed to fostering a focused and engaging learning environment,” said Greg Luterbach, Superintendent of RVS. “By establishing clear expectations for the responsible use of cell phones, personal mobile devices and social media in schools we can work together to reduce distractions and maximize valuable instructional time.”
RVS argues that the procedures are designed to have teachers and administrators work with students and parents toward “the common goal of limiting distractions and staying focused on learning.”
“We recognize this will be an adjustment as these changes become part of school life and we appreciate the cooperation of all students, staff and families to support focused student learning,” said Luterbach. “Our teachers and administration teams will work with students to help them understand the expectations of personal mobile devices and social media at school.”
The provincial government has said that the policy of limiting mobile device usage in schools is a popular one. According to the Province, a survey for parents and school stakeholders received over 68,000 responses and almost 90 per cent of respondents “shared concern over student cellphone use in schools.”
“Parents, teachers, students and our education partners were clear that the use of personal mobile devices and social media in the classroom was of concern,” reads a statement authored by the provincial Minister of Education Demetrios Nicolaides. “We're taking a measured approach to protect students by restricting the use of personal mobile devices during instructional time to reduce distractions and bullying, maximize learning time and support student mental health.”
In a statement issued in June, the Alberta Teacher’s Association said they were in favour of the policy, stating the teacher’s union agreed that the government was on the right track when it came to combating device usage in schools.
“The [Albert Teacher’s Association] is pleased to see that the government's direction reflects ATA policy in keeping students focused on their learning while balancing situations when technology can be used to meet medical and learning needs or outcomes,” said Jason Schilling, the president of the ATA. “Teachers and school leaders look forward to having the support of government and school boards as they implement this new policy.”
While the Province issued a general policy direction, it is up to individual school divisions to implement their own procedures. The Province said that individual school authorities will be required to develop policies to outline how exceptions will be managed and what the consequences will be for non-compliance at their respective schools.
RVS has encouraged families to learn more about Administrative Procedure 148: https://www.rockyview.ab.ca/about-rvs/policies-procedures/administrative-procedures/9834
