Technology Guidelines
Technology Guidelines at Kilbride
We know that there are benefits and drawbacks to our connection to technology. Technology connects us with people around the world; it supports collaborative problem solving; it helps us to see the effects of our actions a world away; and it helps us to learn from each other. On the other hand, many studies show that it is addictive; it can create barriers between people as we reduce actual face time; and it makes it easy for us to say hurtful, thoughtless, or in-the-moment things that we instantly regret...but can’t take back.
At Kilbride, we do not want to ban cellphones completely for all students. Instead, education about digital citizenship and personal awareness is what will help us make better and healthier use of our technology. This education begins with our Health Curriculum as early as Grade 4 and each subsequent year as well as conversations in our classrooms every day. To this end, we have created very clear expectations about the use of personal devices for students, educators, and parents so our students can focus on their academic and social growth.
At our school, similar to previous years, students continue to be expected to:
K-5 Students
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.
6-8 Students
Students in Grades 6,7 and 8 are not required to bring a personal device to school. However, they may bring devices to school under the following circumstances:
Students will enter the school at bell and place cell phones and earbuds in their lockers on silent until the bell at the end of the day (it is strongly recommended students lock their lockers) BELL TO BELL ~ NO CELL
teachers can ask students to retrieve their cell phones from their lockers to be used as an instructional tool during class time with DIRECT supervision, the screen must be readily visible to the teacher
notifications must be turned off when used as an instructional tool
students should not be using their cell phones and devices in the hallways, bathrooms, in classrooms during breaks or on the school field during breaks
Students should not be using their cell phones during classroom instructional time without permission
Phones should not be used as calculators during math, students will be provided with a calculator
Students should not have earbuds in unless they are in class and the teacher has given them permission to listen to music
students use the office phone to call parents if needed, students should not be texting parents or friends during the day
Parents are requested to contact the office in order to communicate any messages to their child(ren). Parents are asked to refrain from contacting their child via text or email.
no photos/videos should be taken at school unless it is assignment/project related and permission given and supervised by the teacher.
Progressive Discipline
At Kilbride we follow a progressive discipline model which encourages teaching and learning as the basis for changing behaviour. If a student does not follow the above expectations, the following progressive discipline process will occur:
First Time: The teacher will direct that the device be put away
Second Time: The teacher will engage the student in a Collaborative Problem Solving discussion regarding the use of technology and the reason for our expectations
Third Time: The teacher will contact home to indicate that device use in the classroom is becoming a problem and if it continues after 1st contact with home, phone will remain home for an agreed upon amount of time between teacher and parent
Fourth Time: The teacher will notify the office that the device use persists; Admin will contact home and using progressive discipline, mitigating factors, a consequence for non-compliance will be issued
Parent Support
Parents, 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.”
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 locker with a lock 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.
General Policy About Technology Use for All Students
From the moment students enter our school, we will be building their digital citizenship skills. Teachers, administrators, and parents need to be involved in and responsible for helping our students to understand and be aware of the challenges of working with technology. To that end, all of us together will teach students to:
not engage in plagiarism or downloading illegal content
represent their online identity truthfully and only access account(s), information and systems for which they are authorised.
safeguard their passwords, account information, personal equipment and personal information from unauthorised users
not post, publish or knowingly download any inappropriate content (e.g., illegal, dishonest, offensive, swearing, racially offensive, sexual, threatening material or content that promotes hatred or harm against any group or person) in the form of text, video, images or music
not use any device to record audio or to take images or video of staff, students or any person during school hours (including nutrition breaks)
not engage in social texting or use of social media apps / websites during the school day to connect with peers and/or family using any device
Thank you for your support in creating our expectations around safe and respectful use of technology, and we look forward to working with you in creating responsible digital citizens at our school.
Our school’s existing guidelines are in compliance with the changes announced by the Ministry of Education regarding cell phone use and social media access in schools that will take effect in the new school year (2024-2025). Provincial Code of Conduct and School Board Codes of Conduct (Policy/Program Memorandum (PPM) 128)
Please view our Code of Conduct and the Technology & You webpage for 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.
Thank you for your support.