This is going to be a hard transition'

Schools brace for bumpy rollout as classroom cellphone ban takes effect

- ISABEL TEOTONIO

Angelika Bell, a TDSB student trustee, has curbed distraction by blocking social media apps on her phone while at school.

During class JoyGold Goodluck often kept her cellphone on her desk, mindlessly checking it when bored, sneaking quick peeks of social media posts.

But those days are over as the province cracks down on cellphone use, banning it in the classroom.

“It’s not like I was checking my phone to do anything actually productive,” says the 17-year-old who attends Father Henry Carr Catholic Secondary School in Toronto. “I just had to look … I just needed to distract myself.”

Goodluck now plans to keep her phone inside her desk or backpack.

“I’ll have to figure out what to do with that distraction itch. Do I look somewhere else? Do I ask to use the washroom? Do I ask to take a walk? Or do I ask a question, so that I actively listen?”

As Ontario students return to school for the 2024-25 academic year, new rules are taking effect to reduce distractions.

Kids in kindergarten to Grade 6 can’t use their phones during the day, including lunch and recess; those in grades 7 to 12 can’t use them in class. Devices must be off and out of view. If not, kids will have to place them in a storage area. If they refuse they’ll be sent to the principal, who will consider a range of responses, including suspension. Students will be responsible for their devices and any consequences from breaking the rules.

But teachers, at the forefront of enforcing this policy, have raised concerns about what happens when a child doesn’t comply, or a confiscated device is lost, stolen or damaged.

At her first press conference as education minister, Jill Dunlop recognized that “enforcement is going to be a big issue” for educators, but said the government has their backs.

“We will support educators and principals in the actions that they take,” she said Thursday.