BC United pledge classroom cellphone ban to increase student engagement

BRITISH COLUMBIA – Cellphone use and phone addiction has become a more and more increasing issue and the BC United want to ban them completely in K-12 classrooms.

With B.C. students returning to schools after the winter break, Kevin Falcon and BC United are reaffirming their pledge to rid them completely during school hours.

“Despite mounting evidence highlighting the negative impacts of cellphone use in classrooms, increasing concerns from parents and teachers, and other provinces like Quebec taking the lead, David Eby and the NDP have failed to act. If elected, BC United will ban cellphone use in classrooms,” said Kevin Falcon, BC United Leader.

“It’s clear to parents how mobile phone usage is negatively impacting our kids’ educations. The NDP’s reluctance to act is coming at a time when B.C. is seeing a decrease in literacy rates and education outcomes in math and English. Let’s get this done now so students’ focus can return to their studies, not their screens.”

Last month, British Columbia received alarmingly low results in the 2023 education rankings.

B.C. finished behind Alberta in all educational categories, and finished well below the national average in mathematics with a drop of more than eight points.

Independent research showed that the province’s PISA scores for reading and mathematics has dropped since the Liberals were in power and NDP took over.

“Teachers already have enough on their plates without having to monitor cellphone usage in classrooms, which is why BC United will implement a province-wide Ministry of Education mandate to ensure this ban is implemented consistently in schools throughout British Columbia. Taking action to ensure students and teachers have a positive and healthy classroom environment is critical to set the next generation up for success,” added Falcon.

“BC United is focused on improving student engagement, restoring transparency in grading by bringing back letter grades, and following through on our promises to build more schools. We owe our kids that.”

BC United has said they would also fund lockers for cellphone storage during school hours in all K-12 schools that currently lack secure storage.