The Vancouver School Board is set to vote on a motion to restrict student cell phone use in schools Monday night.
Trustees are set to review the motion initially put forward by ABC Vancouver trustee and school board chair, Victoria Jung, in April. That initial motion was stalled due to a largely procedural issue, forcing the proposed restrictions to be heard again on May 27.
The motion comes after a January announcement from the provincial government, requiring school districts to implement new guidelines for device usage and social media access in schools.
Board trustees will debate what they call “focused learning environments.”
The idea, according to trustees, is to find a way to separate students from their phones, specifically those in kindergarten to Grade Six.
Trustees want staff to update the code of conduct to restrict their use throughout the entire school day, and require kids to keep phones on silent and out of sight for the entire school day, unless given the OK by a teacher.
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-With files from Charles Brockman