Education Minister Demetrios Nicolaides is scheduled to provide an update on “limiting distractions” in Alberta schools via the use of cellphones and social media.
The announcement will take place at 1 p.m. at McDougall Centre in Calgary.
In April and May, the province asked parents, teachers and school staff to share feedback on:
- Whether students should be allowed to use phones in class;
- The different approaches to cellphone use that might be applied for students in different grades; and
- How potential restrictions might be implemented.
“Cellphones can be used as research and learning tools, to stay up to date on practice or club schedules, and to keep in touch with family in case of emergency. But cellphones can also be a distraction within an educational environment and can sometimes be used inappropriately within a classroom or school,” the Alberta government’s website said.
If the provincial government announces restrictions, it will join a growing list of provinces to do so.
Ontario, Quebec and British Columbia have also implemented restrictions or bans on cellphone use.