Cellphone restrictions, school zone speed limits take effect as B.C. kids head back to classroom

Class is back in session across B.C., but now grade school students will have to keep the cellphones turned off or put away.

Effective Tuesday morning, school districts are required to have policies regulating the use of cellphones in the classroom.

The policies will differ across school districts, according to the B.C. government. They will address when students can use phones at school, while also considering the use of devices for accessibility and medical needs.

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Parents outside Fraser River Middle School in New Westminster largely supported the move, saying phones are a distraction for kids during class time.

While even some kids agreed with the ban and restrictions, others were less enthused, but not always because of their lack of access to social media and their favourite apps.

Some students who say English is not their first language said cellphones offer them a quick and easy translation tool in the classroom.

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Under the changes, school cellphone policies must address accessibility and accommodation needs, such as translators, alternative communication devices, text-to-speech and speech-to-text programs, timers, calendars and reminder software as well as health needs.

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Surrey Schools superintendent Mark Pearmain says accommodations will be made for Surrey students as well.

“Digital devices are helpful for some of our students when it comes to translation, when it comes to equity opportunities for them,” he said.

“So we want to make sure kids can utilize them when they need them.”

At the elementary level, cellphones will need to be turned off “bell to bell,” Pearmain says, while secondary school students will be able to use them as learning devices, with teacher permission, and when they are not in the classroom.

“We recognize for kids this is part of their lives, they do schedule themselves with their digital devices,” he said.

“They work, they are in communication with some of their employers. So we have to make sure there is a balance.”

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Minister of Education and Child Care Rachna Singh hopes the new rules will help set students up for success and safety.

“The policies are specific, catered to what (the school’s) student population is looking like,” she said Tuesday.

“So, it is not a one policy for everybody. It is a policy that different school districts would have, but the focus is that the students are able to access education and focus on the education as they should be doing.”

And while phones may be out, school speed zones are back in effect. Drivers will need to slow down to 30 kilometres per hour in school zones on school days.

“You can expect to see police officers, speed watch volunteers closely monitoring drivers’ speed in these areas,” New Westminster police Sgt. Andrew Leaver said.

“We encourage everybody just to slow down, take those extra seconds just to make sure everybody is safe.”

Police also encourage pedestrians to stick to marked crosswalks and for parents to use designated school drop-off and pickup zones before and after school.