The Electronic Device Policy in the 2015-16 school year St. Albert the Great Parish School Parent / Student Handbook specifies that students are not allowed to use personal electronic devices during the school day. This includes obvious devices such as phones, tablets, and laptops, but it also includes smart watches and fitness trackers, too.
The reason that such devices are disallowed is because we want teachers and students to focus on education during the school day. Personal electronic devices can be used to both create an unfair advantage in the classroom, and also create disruptions during class.
Many parents have asked: why not allow “simple” gadgets? E-ink Kindles, and “dumb” fitness trackers, like some Fitbit models? The answer is because many “simple” gadgets can be used for unmonitored internet usage (e.g., even e-ink Kindles have a web browser) or otherwise used to obtain external information (e.g., Fitbit announced the “Blaze” in January 2016 -- a watch with fitness-tracking capabilities that can receive SMS texts, just like a cell phone).
But more importantly, we do not want teachers spending valuable class time determining which student-owned devices are approved and which are not. We want them focused on ensuring that we are delivering a blue-ribbon experience for you and your child.
Given this world of ever-changing technology and new products, we hope you will understand, and appreciate, our efforts to keep the focus on your child’s education. We will utilize technology to enhance this experience, but will do our best to not allow it to detract from it.
Thank you for your understanding and support!