A ban on the use of cellphones in Ontario classrooms starts today.
Under the ban, students can only use personal mobile devices during instructional time if it is for educational purposes, for health purposes, or for special needs.
While some schools already have similar policies in place regarding cellphone use, the ban sets a provincial standard. The province has not said how teachers are going to enforce the ban.
According to the provincial government, 97 per cent of the parents, students and teachers to whom they spoke during consultations in the fall of 2018 said cellphone use should be restricted in some way.
Some School Boards Have Already Tried a Ban
The Toronto District School Board (TDSB) used to have a cellphone ban, but reversed it after four years to let teachers dictate what works best for their classrooms.
The board has previously said that enforcing an outright ban was next to impossible, and said that to curb technology use would be to place limits on educational opportunities as well.
Essentially what has happened with these recent changes says one school spokesperson, is that what we are already doing is now formalized in an official procedure.
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