Technology Policy
As you may recall, the Ministry of Education announced changes regarding personal electronic devices (cell phone) use in schools that will take effect this school year.
Our school is committed to preparing students for success in a technology-driven world. This includes learning about digital citizenship and the importance of safe and responsible online behaviour.
At River Oaks, we propose the following technology use guidelines for students.
K-6
Should you feel that your child requires a personal device for the way to and from school, these devices should remain in a student’s backpack throughout the day. With the high level of access to technology for our primary and early junior students, and the early stages of their digital literacy, students in these grades do not need personal devices for any academic reason. If there are special circumstances for your child, we require you to have that conversation with your child’s classroom teacher.
7-8
Students in grade 7 and 8 are not required to bring a personal device to
school. However, they may bring devices to school under the following circumstances:
Students shall have their devices turned off and in their lockers/backpacks at all times, unless explicitly requested by a teacher to bring the device to class to enhance the learning experience.
There may be times when teachers may encourage students to use their own devices for academic purposes such as research, calculating, translating, virtual reality and/or coding. Students will typically know at least one day in advance should a device be allowed for an assignment. We understand that many students do not have personal devices. At school, we will ensure that they will have appropriate access to all the school technology needed in order to complete any assignments, and personal technology will never be a requirement for a student to access the curriculum. Personal devices are only ever to be used for educational purposes, and may not be used at lunch time or in the hallway between classes.
Students will be expected to understand that personal devices brought to school are his/her own responsibility. Administration and teachers will attempt to solve the problem of lost, broken, or stolen phones however, replacement costs are the responsibility of the student who owns it.
Students are not to be using their devices in unsupervised or less supervised areas (i.e., halls, stairwells, change rooms, bathrooms). Never, at any time, are students to take pictures, video, or audio recordings of students or staff during the school day unless prior approval has been set up as part of an assignment during which the teacher will supervise.
How can families help?
Families, you can help us by supporting and modelling appropriate use of technology in order to encourage your child to focus on academics in school. Parents are requested to:
Refrain from texting your children throughout the day. Please call the office for emergency messages to be relayed.
If your child texts you during class time, please respond with, “Please speak to your teacher and ask to go to the office, talk to an adult there and use the office phones.”
Buy a calculator for your child to use in Math class
Make after school arrangements with your children in advance
Remind your child of the appropriate uses of technology and social media, while reviewing and monitoring their online activity outside of school hours
Encourage your child to keep their personal device secure in their pocket/backpack throughout the day
Counsel your child that devices brought to school are their responsibility. If items are lost, broken, or stolen, the school will try to help solve the problem, but in the end, the replacement cost rests with the student who owns it.
If a student does not follow the above expectations, the following consequences may/will occur:
At River Oaks we follow a progressive discipline model which encourages teaching and learning as the basis for changing behaviour. Consequences for not following expectations around the use of personal devices could include:
The teacher will direct that the device be put away
The teacher will engage the student in a Collaborative Problem Solving discussion regarding the use of technology
The teacher will contact home (email/call) to indicate that device use in the classroom is becoming a problem
If the problem is ongoing, an Administrator will call home to indicate that the device in the classroom is a problem and will recommend that the device not return to school for a period of time and/or require a parent to come into the school to pick up the device.
The Halton District School Board Code of Conduct and the Technology & You webpage provides specifics related to social media and cell phone use in HDSB schools.
As we head into September, we are asking for your support and collaboration to hold conversations at home about these expectations and the importance of a focused learning environment. Thank you for your continued partnership.
As a reminder, a message was sent to all families centrally on Aug. 23 with additional information about these changes.