ST. PAUL – St. Paul Education is asking for feedback from parents regarding cell phones in schools as part of a policy review. The province announced a cell phone ban in schools last June. That ban came into effect on Sept.
ST. PAUL – St. Paul Education is asking for feedback from parents regarding cell phones in schools as part of a policy review.
The province announced a cell phone ban in schools last June. That ban came into effect on Sept. 1 and requires school boards to have a policy in place by Jan. 1, 2025.
St. Paul Education’s policy states personal mobile devices are not to be used during instructional time unless authorized by a teacher or administrator. The policy also prohibits all social media on any device during instructional time.
The policy will be sent out to parents for review and comments and brought back to the board to be amended in January if changes are needed.
More students expected to be eligible for busing in 25/26
Expected changes to the distance criteria from the province will mean about 166 more students will be eligible for busing next year. Most of those students are in the Town of St. Paul according to Amy Whalen, the Director of Transportation and Facilities.
“So there is some possibility that transported students may go up next fall,” said Whalen.
St. Paul Education buses transport 1,693 students from K-12, of whom 1,515 meet current provincial eligibility criteria by living at least 2.4 kilometres from their school.
Cost of buses up 40 per cent since 2020
The cost of both updates and maintenance to St. Paul Education’s fleet of buses has increased significantly, presenting challenges for the budget, said Secretary-Treasurer Jean Champagne during the Dec. 11 board meeting.
Champagne said the Transportation Department would like to purchase two new buses in 24/25 instead of just one.
“The cost of a bus has gone up 40 per cent in four years,” said Champagne, noting a new bus is now in the neighbourhood of $170,000 and the used inventory has become quite limited.
“That’s going to be an obstacle for us. Even parts have gone up about 40 per cent as well. Fuel, over that time has gone up 57 per cent,” said Champagne.
According to Champagne, the fuel modifier in the provincial funding formula has protected the division from that increase slightly but the transportation department is seeing significant impact from inflation.
He said the buses in their fleet are using a two-way radio system, which is at its end of life and in need of upgrading as well. According to Champagne, the transportation department is looking at proposals for that and no decisions have been made, but they expect it to be a significant investment.
Feedback regarding fall break
Parents will be asked for feedback on this year’s fall break before the draft calendar of the 25/26 school year is completed.
According to Superintendent Peter Barron the feedback across the division was mixed, with some appreciating the time off and others not feeling they had a break because high school sports continued to take place.
A formal survey is being sent to all stakeholders before a decision is made.
St. Paul Education is also working towards creating a two-year educational calendar.