Cellphone ban ruled out for local public schools

Schools in the Central Okanagan will not follow suit after a Victoria school banned cellphones.

Central Middle School principal Topher Macintosh recently sent out a letter from the Victoria school to parents informing them of a student cellphone ban to begin in September.

“We are not going to do that,” said Kevin Kaardal, superintendent of the Central Okanagan school district. “We have worked with our young people to look at any smartphone or any device . . . as a tool in learning.”

Cellphones and tablets are used frequently in classrooms, and students are taught to use them safely and appropriately, said Kaardal.

“We teach our kids to be good digital citizens,” he said. “They’re ubiquitous in our learning.”

The cellphone ban at Central Middle School stemmed from concerns that phone use was impeding learning.

No such concerns exist in the Central Okanagan, said Kaardal.

“Our teachers can manage it,” he said. “If they have a worry or a difficulty, they just have students place their iPad or phone on the corner of their desk turned off.”

While there are lessons and activities that do not require the use of technology, digital devices are becoming more of a necessity in the classroom, said Kaardal.

“Lots of kids need software to access the curriculum,” he said. “It’s the world we live in. You want to make sure they don’t feel excluded.”