Some Saskatchewan schools have banned using smartphones in classrooms because of how distracting they are, but Moose Jaw’s public division is leaving that decision up to teachers.
During the recent Prairie South School Division board meeting, trustee Crystal Froese pointed out that when it comes to mental health and wellness, news articles and reports show cell phones have limited or non-existent classroom benefits and negatively affect student learning.
Froese then wondered whether the division had a policy to govern smartphone use in schools.
Ryan Boughen, director of education, replied that the division office leaves that decision in the hands of schools and classroom teachers, considering teachers have different approaches to handling this issue.
“My understanding is that it’s quite common now that teachers are asking students to park their cellphones in almost like a cellphone wall bag,” he said.
“And they are only using them when they’re asked to bring them out to use them for something appropriate during a learning opportunity. But for the most part, they’re put away during instructional time.”
A similar situation Prairie South faced recently was instituting a dress code because schools were having trouble with some students’ clothing options, Boughen said.
Division administration met to discuss the situation and then consulted with principals about whether to implement a division-wide administrative procedure (AP) to handle this issue or let schools have the autonomy to decide for themselves, he continued.
School administrators eventually decided they wanted the power to address this issue and didn’t want something imposed from the top.
“It would have been years ago when we had the conversation … about cellphones,” Boughen added. “That’s why we don’t have our own specific administrative procedure.”
School administrators usually support whatever decision teachers make, whether using a wall bag or having students put their phones in a basket at the front of the class, said Derrick Huschi, superintendent of school operations. Most students have complied with teachers’ directions about cellphone use.
Dustin Swanson, superintendent of education, said there has been a shift in the past five years in handling this technology and supporting students in managing those disturbances.
“Everyone’s come out with their own strategy that works in the classroom in school to minimize the disruption,” he added.
The next PSSD board meeting is Tuesday, Oct. 3.
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