MELFORT – The Northeast School Division has surveyed its teachers and there is a strong consensus on the negative impacts of personal device use, particularly in terms of learning, attention, social interactions, and mental health.
Stacy Lair, Director of Education for the Northeast School Division, said, “A substantial body of research highlights the strong link between social media use and negative mental health outcomes in children. Additionally, digital distraction can negatively impact classroom learning. In our commitment to supporting student well-being and optimizing learning time, we feel a responsibility to ensure that a student cell phone policies align with these goals.”
Lair said last school year, the NESD Board directed the development of a student cell phone policy. As a result, an NESD administrative procedure has been drafted, incorporating feedback from a teacher survey.
Next week, a committee of NESD school administrators will meet to finalize the policy draft, which will then be shared with teachers and school community councils for further feedback. “We aim to have the policy in place by late fall,” Lair said. "For the most part our initial policy development aligns with the provincial government request."
“We have not collected data related to student cell phone use beyond a teacher survey this past spring,” Lair said. NESD teachers have reported many concerns related to cell phone use in classrooms. “However, shared through a spring survey, they also recognize the potential for using these devices to enhance learning, particularly in teaching students to be responsible digital citizens.”
Lair said, ”It will depend on the collective effort of families in supporting our teachers with the implementation of this policy. We recognize that the changes associated with this new policy may be challenging for some, but are dedicated to working together to support students and families through this transition.”
Cell phone use, particularly social media, is known to have addictive effects. Lair said they are striving to create a policy that is consistent across the division, manageable for teachers and administrators, and strong enough to meet their goals of supporting student well-being in focused learning environments.
