Province reveals details of cellphone policy

Tough measures for schools also include crackdown on student vaping

- KRISTIN RUSHOWY

Ontario will ban cellphones in elementary schools for the entire day, and during class time for middle and high school students, under new rules to start this September that are being touted as the toughest in Canada.

The changes announced Sunday, which include a crackdown on student vaping, will also force school boards to remove all access to social media websites from their networks, and report cards will be updated to include comments on students' distraction levels.

Unless teachers want to use devices for learning, "when it comes to cellphones, our policy is 'out of sight, out of mind,'" Education Minister Stephen Lecce said at a North York school Sunday.

The move, first reported by the Star, will mean kids up to Grade 6 have to put their cellphones away and on silent mode when at school.

Those in Grades 7 to 12 will only have access between classes and at lunch.

Exceptions can be made with the "explicit" permission by an educator for learning purposes, as well as for students with particular medical or custody situations, Lecce said, adding parents can alert their schools to any such concerns.

If caught with their phone without permission, the phones will have to be "immediately surrendered," the province said, though Lecce noted it'll be up to teachers and schools to decide on how the policy is enforced.

"We will respect the professional judgment of teachers of when technology is appropriate and of when it's not appropriate," he said.

The province is also cracking down on kids vaping and smoking on school property.