BC United Leader Kevin Falcon on Monday reaffirmed his party’s pledge to ban cellphone use in K-12 classrooms.

Falcon said: “Despite mounting evidence highlighting the negative impacts of cellphone use in classrooms, increasing concerns from parents and teachers, and other provinces like Quebec taking the lead, David Eby and the NDP have failed to act. If elected, BC United will ban cellphone use in classrooms.”

He added: “It’s clear to parents how mobile phone usage is negatively impacting our kids’ educations. The NDP’s reluctance to act is coming at a time when B.C. is seeing a decrease in literacy rates and education outcomes in math and English. Let’s get this done now so students’ focus can return to their studies, not their screens.”

The BC United said that last month, British Columbia received devastating results in the 2023 Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) education rankings. B.C. finished behind Alberta in all educational categories, and finished well below the national average in mathematics with a drop of more than eight points. Independent analysis shows that B.C.’s PISA scores for reading and mathematics peaked under the previous BC Liberal government.

Falcon said: “Teachers already have enough on their plates without having to monitor cellphone usage in classrooms, which is why BC United will implement a province-wide Ministry of Education mandate to ensure this ban is implemented consistently in schools throughout British Columbia. Taking action to ensure students and teachers have a positive and healthy classroom environment is critical to set the next generation up for success.”

He added: “BC United is focused on improving student engagement, restoring transparency in grading by bringing back letter grades, and following through on our promises to build more schools. We owe our kids that.”

BC United noted that it has committed to funding lockers for cellphone storage during instructional hours in all K-12 schools that currently lack secure storage capabilities.