Education Plan Committee
May 6, 2026 · 06:30 pm
Summary
- Personal Digital Devices – School Codes of Conduct (Motion 1): District staff presented a two-year update on implementing the Ministry of Education's personal digital device policy. Currently, K–7 students must keep phones out of sight and silent all day; secondary students may use devices in class under teacher direction and freely at breaks and lunch. The proposed motion would extend the stricter K–7 rules to all secondary grades. After small-group discussion and committee debate, trustees voted to refer the motion back for refinements before any board decision.
- Framework for Enhancing Student Learning – Human and Social Development Update (information item): Two district teams provided updates on their year's work.
- Equity and Anti-Oppression: Highlights included a student-led DEI youth conference (moved to June following the Lapu-Lapu Day anniversary), the Story Studio program for elementary students, expanded enrollment in locally developed courses (Queer and Trans History of BC 12; History of African Descent 12), curriculum resource kits for teachers covering topics such as Black history, SOGI, anti-Indigenous racism, and refugee experiences, a new internal guide supporting trans and gender diverse students, equity scans completed at 14 of 18 secondary schools, and an EAO Working Group involving 36 students and staff.
- Mental Health and Social-Emotional Learning: Highlights included redesigned self-paced professional development workshops (topics: de-escalation, ADHD, anxiety, trauma-informed practice), a February full-day Pro-D attended by roughly 230 educators, training for all elementary area counselors and secondary counseling heads on the Mental Health Open Parachute platform, the Here for Peers program (75 grade 11–12 students delivering mental health workshops to over 900 grade 6–7 students), and use of MDI, YDI, and Student Learning Survey data to guide planning. The committee noted that Vancouver declared May 6, 2026 Youth Mental Health Awareness Day.
Motions
School Codes of Conduct Personal Digital Devices
Referred Details
- The proposed motion would extend the existing K–7 "out of sight, silent all day" phone rule to secondary students (grades 8–12), removing the current allowance for device use at breaks and lunch and in class under teacher direction.
- Small-group discussion raised practical concerns: no budget or infrastructure for phone storage at large secondary schools, insufficient staff to supervise hundreds of students during unstructured time, and the significant cost of physical storage solutions.
- Participants flagged equity and safety exceptions that would need clearer policy language, including students who rely on their personal device as their only home internet access, students in care or with custody arrangements who need phones for safety, and students with accessibility needs met by their devices.
- Questions were raised about whether the current K–7 policy is being applied consistently across schools, and whether enforcing existing rules more uniformly should be tried before extending restrictions further.
- The student representative (Vancouver District Students Council) noted that phones are used daily for communication, accessing assignments on Teams, and connecting with family, and asked for stronger guarantees that student voice would be formally incorporated into any implementation plan.
- Trustees agreed the intent of stronger device boundaries is sound but that key elements, particularly accommodations for secondary students during breaks, definitions of "explicit permission," and equity considerations, need to be resolved before a final decision.