The BC NDP has announced the implementation of a "bell to bell" cell phone ban in schools across the province — set to take effect at the beginning of the upcoming 2024-25 academic year."The bottom line is that the phones are not going to be out in the classroom, they're not going to be out in the hallways, not going to be out in the school yards," Premier David Eby said during a press conference in Vancouver. "How that's implemented in an individual classroom by an individual teacher, we're relying on the expertise, the knowledge of that teacher to be able to control the classroom to deliver that."He suggested that some teachers might choose to ask students to keep their phones in their bags, while others may opt for a more drastic solution by requiring the devices be placed in a communal basket."What we're hoping to do is give kids two things," Eby continued. "Distraction-free classrooms, the chance to socialize with their pals, for parents a reduction in the peer pressure of 'everybody else has a cell phone, what about my kid?' and also the ability for teachers to teach that literacy about cell phones in a controlled way so that when kids get access to phone that they're ready for it."He noted that there would be exceptions for special needs students who rely on their cell phones to communicate and participate in day to day activities.Also at the press conference was an East Vancouver resident whose daughter was preparing to enter Grade 12. She called the move "very sensible," pointing out that the fewer distractions students have, the better. "The constant stimulation of our smartphones makes it hard to focus and even harder to disconnect," she lamented, "because our favourite devices are so creatively designed to capture our attention."She went on to thank not only the government, but teachers and administrators as well for taking on the extra burden of enforcing the new policy.Across the province, students in Kindergarten to Grade 12 will be returning to the classrooms on Tuesday.
