Vancouver School Board to vote on motion to restrict device usage in Vancouver schools
For Immediate Release
April 29th, 2024
VANCOUVER, BC – Today, Vancouver School Board will be voting on a motion put forward by ABC Trustee and School Board Chair Victoria Jung. The motion would be the first step towards restricting device usage in Vancouver schools.
“The Vancouver School Board has a responsibility to deliver healthy and safe learning environments for students and educators,” said Jung. “Today’s motion is about taking a next step towards supporting digital wellbeing.”
Should the motion be successful, school board staff will begin the process of engaging stakeholders. Consideration will be given to ensuring rules have appropriate consideration for accessibility-related
device use and student social development.
“It is important for Vancouver to be a leader in this field,” continued Jung. “We know from experience that dealing with devices in the classroom is often a complex matter. Having buy-in and input from students, educators, parents, and administration is absolutely crucial.”
The motion comes after an announcement from the Provincial Government in January requiring school districts to implement new guidelines regarding device usage in schools. Recently, the ABC-led Vancouver School Board voted to fill two roles devoted to digital literacy and wellbeing, creating the staff capacity needed to support this motion.
“It’s important we strike the right balance between creating a distraction-free learning environment while considering needs of accessibility and other education-related device uses,” concluded Jung. “That’s why we’re taking all necessary steps to ensure we get this right.”
Tonight’s board meeting will take place at the Vancouver School Board Offices at 7PM.
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MEDIA CONTACT:
Christy Thompson
Executive Director, ABC Vancouver