The Ontario government has announced a provincewide ban on cellphones in classrooms, with the aim of improving student concentration and reducing distractions. The new rules will require students to keep their phones on silent mode and out of sight during the school day. Students in grades 7 and above will be allowed to use their phones between classes or at lunch, but not during teaching time. Teachers and classroom assistants are also expected to set an example by refraining from using their phones unless it is work-related. The government is emphasizing the importance of parents supporting these measures to change the culture around distraction and phone use in schools.
The new rules will also ban access to social media during the school day on school board devices and for anyone using the local Wi-Fi network. Enforcement of the ban will be left to teachers and schools, with policies in place to inform parents and potentially confiscate phones. The government believes that involving parents in the process will make the issue of cellphone usage a joint venture between home and school. Opinion polling conducted by Campaign Research suggests that there is widespread support for restrictions on student cellphone use in schools, with parents wanting their children to focus on learning rather than being distracted by their devices.
While the province has introduced a provincewide ban on cellphones in classrooms, the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario has expressed opposition to the policy. The union believes that an outright ban on cellphones prevents schools from properly teaching students how to use their devices responsibly. The government’s new rules will provide basic expectations for dealing with cellphone usage during forbidden hours, but local school boards will have the flexibility to implement their own progressive discipline measures for repeat offenders. The Ministry of Education had previously announced restrictions on cellphone use during class time, but left it up to individual school boards to determine how the policy would be applied.
Some school boards in Ontario had already implemented restrictions on cellphone use prior to the provincewide ban, resulting in a patchwork of different rules across the province. The Toronto District School Board, for example, is now reviewing how the new provincial policy will impact its existing rules. At the Peel District School Board, individual schools have developed policies that allow parents or students to voluntarily hand in cellphones for the school day. The Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario believes that addressing cellphone use should be handled at the school board level, rather than through a provincewide ban.
Overall, the Ontario government’s provincewide ban on cellphones in classrooms aims to improve student concentration and reduce distractions during the school day. The new rules will require students to keep their phones on silent mode and out of sight, with teachers expected to enforce the policy. While some school boards had already implemented restrictions on cellphone use prior to the provincewide ban, others had not, leading to a patchwork of different rules across the province. The government is urging parents to support the new measures in order to change the culture around distraction and phone use in schools.
