Cellphone use in schools engagement

Parents and education partners can share their feedback on cellphone use in Alberta’s K-12 schools.

Overview

We are gathering feedback from parents and education partners to determine the role cellphones should play in Alberta elementary, junior high and senior high schools.

Currently, Alberta school authorities have the autonomy to set their own policy on how students use cellphones in schools. Policies on cellphone use vary widely across school authorities, across the country and internationally. 

Timeline

  • Open

  • Results under review

  • Completed

Who is listening

Ministry of Education

Get informed

Cellphones are an ever-present feature of our daily lives, and Alberta's classrooms are no exception. Cellphones can be used as a research and learning tool, 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.

In recent years, Ontario, Quebec and British Columbia have all announced restrictions or bans on cellphone use in schools, with certain exceptions in place.

Get involved

Online survey

Parents, teachers and school staff will receive a link to an online survey from their school authority. The survey is open until May 3.

Stakeholder engagement

Education partners will be invited to participate in both the online survey and virtual engagement sessions.

Outcomes

Your feedback will help us decide:

  • whether students should be allowed to use cellphones in class
  • the different approaches to cellphone use that might be applied for students in different grades
  • how potential restrictions on cellphone use might be implemented in schools