BC United leader calls for province-wide cellphone ban in schools, following Quebec and Ontario laws

As kids in B.C. return to school following the winter break, BC United leader Kevin Falcon is again calling for a province-wide ban on cellphones in classrooms for students in Kindergarten through Grade 12.

“So that when they go to school they can focus on learning and listening as opposed to spending time on their screen,” said Falcon on Monday.

Quebec implemented such a ban last week, and Falcon says a similar step should be taken here.

A full-blown ban is misplaced, says social media and digital expert Darren Laur, who runs the consulting and educational company, The White Hatter.

“(Cellphones are) so ubiquitous in today’s world, what better place to teach these kids how to use these things in a reasonable, mediated way than in a classroom,” said Laur on Monday.

Rachna Singh, B.C.’s education minister, acknowledged in a statement on Monday that cellphones can be a distraction, but added, “Technology can be a helpful learning tool, and that some students rely on devices for accessibility.”

“In B.C., many school districts already have policies in place restricting cellphone access for students at school. Principals and teachers also have the ability to restrict cellphone use in classrooms,” the statement continues.

Falcon says that approach isn’t working, and a province-wide one is needed.

“I’m hearing from all kinds of teachers that that patchwork approach does not work,” he said.

The opposition leader added, if his party were elected, exceptions to a ban could be carved out, but generally cellphones would be stored in lockers provided for all students.

The province says it is evaluating the matter, but for now at least, decisions on the devices will be made by the districts and schools, not the government.