As far as cell phones and kids go, the song remains the same at the Near North District School Board.
“At this time, Near North District School Board has no plans to ban cell phones in classrooms or schools,” clarified Brett Hanson, the Communications Coordinator for the board.
The issue is hot lately, as the Toronto District School Board has been considering clamping down on cell phone use within schools – or putting more limits on use or banning outright the devices from schools.
Ontario’s Education Minister, Stephen Lecce, doesn’t have a problem with limiting cell phone use in our schools. Lecce recently posted on X (formerly Twitter) that “there is a growing support for limiting cell phones in schools.”
“We have one critical mission,” he emphasized, “keep students focused on the curriculum and engaged in the classroom.”
See: Quebec students forbidden from using cellphones in classrooms after winter break
In 2019 the province ushered in the first policy that outlined rules for phones in the classroom. As of November, of that year “using cellphones and other personal mobile devices during instructional time is restricted,” the policy stated.
While preparing that document, the government found that 97 per cent of parents, students, and educators “told us that there should be restrictions on the use of cellphones at school.”
See: VIDEO: Desperate to get your kids off their phones? Listen to this mom
Currently, those provincial guidelines remain the rule of the school. Phone can be brought to school and used during recess or lunch. Phone can be used during class time under the following circumstances – for educational purposes as directed by the teacher, for health and medical purposes, and to support special educational needs, including students with mental health needs.
Schools also have their own policies and procedures. For example, Parry Sound High School deems cell phones a distraction, and administers demand those devices be kept in a locker or turned off in a pocket. Students at North Bay’s Sunset Park elementary school do not allow kids to use phones during lunch or in the yard, halls, or during class – unless a teacher allows it.
“As a school community,” Sunset Park notes in it’s Student Handbook, “we work towards supporting students in becoming responsible users of technology.”
BayToday has reached out to the Nipissing-Parry Sound Catholic School Board for its perspective on the issue, but at the time of writing, have not heard back.
David Briggs is a Local Journalism Initiative reporter who works out of BayToday, a publication of Village Media. The Local Journalism Initiative is funded by the Government of Canada.
