Schools vs. Screens
November 14, 2024 at 11:00PMThis past fall, several Canadian provinces banned students from using cell phones in class. Designed to help students focus more effectively in school, the measure was trotted out by governments with lot of fanfare and little guidance on how to implement the plan, leaving teachers responsible for enforcement and in some cases, liable when the phones they confiscate are lost or damaged.
This year, the province mandated that students were not to use phones in class at all, with rare exceptions. But as Adam listened to the principal explain the new system, he grew dismayed. It was obvious that this was no sweeping ban. The principal urged teachers to be accommodating by default, noting that there was no way for them to know why students were using phones—maybe they were monitoring a medical condition with an app, or waiting on a text about an ailing relative. And though Ontario’s policy required rule-breakers to immediately surrender their devices when caught, the principal implied that teachers would be personally liable if a confiscated phone was lost or damaged. The principal advised teachers to send offenders to the office instead. Adam’s colleagues rolled their eyes. They’d tried that before; it didn’t work. A vice-principal would give students a mild reprimand and send them back to class.
from Longreads https://longreads.com/2024/11/14/schools-vs-screens/
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