Phone restrictions are in place for every grade-schooler in the province following Education Minister Demetrios Nicolaides’ Ministerial Order restricting the use of personal devices in the classroom.
The order includes a full ban on tablets, laptops, and smartwatches, and parents are encouraged to ask their children to leave those devices at home.
Locally, the Holy Family Catholic Regional Division has tasked its principals to develop a system to respect the order regarding devices in their schools; however, as of September 4th, the use of cell phones is still allowed in HFCRD schools outside of class time.
The division maintains that using personal electronic devices in the classroom could still be allowed depending on an individual teacher’s decision for “special purposes,” special learning needs, or health and medical reasons.
Additionally, the ban will see “all social media platforms” blocked for students on school wifi from 8:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Monday to Friday.
During this time, staff are encouraged to “lead by example,” but no rules are currently in place.
