Are cellphones too much of a distraction for students?

Barrhead Composite High School (BCHS) students might have to a find a safe place to store their cellphones while they are in class.

That is what associate principals Charlene Assenheimer and Prakash Raju told Pembina Hills Public Schools trustees at their April 25 meeting at the school.

“As a staff, we have been talking about changing our policy. We are looking at banning cellphones during class time,” she said.

Her statement was in response to a question from Westlock North trustee Jackie Comeau who asked what impact social media was having on the mental health of students during Assenheimer’s report.

“Everyone was saying how good it was to have this technology, saying how they were going to be able to use cellphones to complement what they were doing in the classroom,” Comeau said, adding in the last six months that opinion seems to be reversing.

Assenheimer can understand why saying when smartphones first started appearing in schools she too was excited about the possibilities.

“But now, after seeing all the studies out there, on how it takes away your attention and then there are the whole anxiety and stress piece of the equation,” she said, noting anxiety is one of the biggest reasons why students seek help from student services. “Their brains are not ready yet to deal with that much distraction.”

The other reasons why students seek help from student services are because of addiction issues, mainly marijuana, depression and family conflict.

Assenheimer added while parents and teachers have a responsibility to teach children how to use the technology properly it is difficult when many of them are having the same issues.

“I heard a comment the other day that really rings true,” she said. “We have parents that won’t let their children walk to school because they are afraid of what might happen. Yet they give them a device where they are open to the entire world and they don’t monitor it.”

Although Assenheimer said administration has not come to a decision, her opinion is that it isn’t enough just to tell them to put it in their pockets, or book bags and only take them out when requested to do so by a teacher.

“It is still there vibrating in their pockets grabbing their attention so I don’t even want it in the classroom anymore and the majority of teachers we have had this discussion will feel the same way.”

Raju noted if the school did change its policy it wouldn’t be until the new school year to give them time to inform parents.

“Also telling parents that we aren’t restricting access to your children. If it is an emergency, we will get that child out of the room and into the office to receive that phone call or text. Plus this way as a parent I know that I can text my child without them being disturbed because when they have their break they can go to their locker where they will find that message.”

Assenheimer once again noted that a final decision regarding cellphones had not been made.

“We are still discussing the logistics of it. Do we let them into the building? If so, do we just let them look at it during breaks, et cetera, but I think a lot of schools are having the same discussions,” she said.