B.C.’s cellphone ban deserves no extra credit beyond the classroom

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There’s a scene in High School Musical where Troy Bolton is texting his love interest Gabriella Montez during their drama class. Montez’s ringtone goes off, causing the rest of the class to take out their phones, thinking the sound came from them. 

“Ah, the cellphone menace has returned to our crucible of learning,” said the drama teacher Ms. Darbus. She takes a bucket, confiscating everyone’s electronic devices in a comedic fashion. 

It’s strange and surreal now to revisit this part of the movie amid the recent cellphone ban across B.C.’s elementary and high schools this year.

As much as I agree with having cellphones put away during classes to focus and learn, it doesn’t make sense to ban them outside of classrooms, too. Efforts to forbid phones outside of class hours might cause students to break the rules, creating more unnecessary hassle for teachers. Before I dive into this more, let’s go over what this ban is first. 

The B.C. government, under Premier David Eby, passed a new policy restricting students from using cellphones at school. The aim behind this initiative is to keep students from being distracted by their phones, whether it’s to improve learning or form social relationships. 

The ban is also intended to prevent the negative impacts of cyberbullying, mental health issues, and peer pressure from social media and the internet. 

School districts, such as in Vancouver, Surrey, Richmond, and Burnaby, will apply the rules differently, but the ban will be in effect in a “bell-to-bell” approach. This means that devices are prohibited anywhere on school grounds, not just the classroom. The policy will be active during recess and lunch, but this will also depend on district discretion.

Students with disabilities will be exempt from this ban to ensure they’re still able to have personal support. As for parents, there will be training materials in digital literacy to help educate families and kids about practicing internet safety. 

Banning phones in classes for educational reasons is understandable, but to the point where you ban them even outside of classes during school hours is pointless. Students can always find other ways to access the internet, such as through computer labs or libraries. 

AP News reported that students can stay busy without a phone, from extracurricular volunteering to spending time in nature. 

However, as Spokane, Wash. student Vivian Mead said in an interview with AP News, school activities aren’t for everyone, since some people really prefer being on their own with their phones, whether it’s listening to music or browsing different media. 

Banning cellphones outside of classes feels like a smaller issue when compared to the struggles of teachers in the province as they’re in desperate need of support. 

The BC Teachers’ Federation said in a statement that there’s more pressing needs in schools than cellphone bans due to the province’s ongoing staffing problems.

CTV News reported 20,000 teachers and 7,000 teacher’s assistants are the hiring numbers that schools must meet to handle enrolments over the next decade. Without an abundant network of educators, students’ learning still faces uncertainty, even if phones are taken out of the picture.

Amid this current ban, what’s rapidly building a national and global presence is the lingering question as to whether universities should also have these same rules. 

It’s different for secondary schools, where staff try to be more vigilant about student learning, since elementary and high school are crucial times for kids to internalize good learning habits and personal growth during adolescence.

In contrast, post-secondary students are already independent young adults, and, evidently, it will be completely on them to decide how much effort they put into a class. 

In any case, I hope that teachers receive the support they need for themselves. But in the meantime, they and their students will just have to awkwardly adjust to their new crucibles of learning.