If teachers can’t handle a cellphone ban, maybe they shouldn’t be teachers

Ontario moving education in the right direction

The Ontario government’s new ban on cellphone use in classrooms is welcome, not just because it is self-evidently sensible, but because it returns at least some consistent rules and discipline to the province’s schools. Maybe the concept will catch on.

Starting next September, Ontario will ban cellphone use by all elementary students and ban their use in middle-school and highschool classrooms. Students from Grades 7 to 12 will still be able to use their phones at lunch and between classes.

Students at all levels can use phones if they have permission from their teacher. The new plan is meant to strengthen a 2019 policy, which it left up to boards and individual schools to implement, by making bans non-discretionary and provincewide.

There will also be a crackdown on vaping, smoking and cannabis use in schools.

The usefulness of the new cellphone restrictions is easy to test. Is there a better chance of students paying attention to their teachers if they aren’t looking at the cellphones at the same time? If yes, then the new restrictions make sense.

Why would it have ever been acceptable for a student to scroll through social media during a class? Not only does the inattention substantially negate the value of the teaching, it’s disrespectful to teachers. If a student chose to spend his classroom time reading a graphic novel or put on her headphones to check out the latest Taylor Swift album, would we think that’s OK?

Ontario Premier Doug Ford displayed his gift for simplicity when he said, “The teachers want the kids to pay attention. It’s as simple as that. It’s not that complicated. Don’t use the phones.”

It’s disappointing that some teaching unions and even the province’s school board umbrella organization are complaining about the new rules, especially because it’s just the sort of change they had been calling for. It’s the usual reflexive opposition to anything government does.

One might have expected strong support from the Ontario Public School Boards’ Association (OPSBA).

After all, just last month four of their largest members, including three Toronto-area boards, launched a $4.5-billion lawsuit against Meta, Tiktok and Snapchat.

The boards contend that these social media sites interfere with student learning and have caused “widespread disruption to the education system.”

And yet, faced with the possibility of real assistance, OPSBA president Cathy Abraham asked the government to delay implementation to get more feedback from health experts, students and parents.

The head of the secondary teachers’ union was decidedly unenthusiastic. “There are big questions about how something like this can be enforced, as well as the fact that phones are expensive, so it’s a huge liability issue,” said Karen Littlewood, president of the Ontario Secondary Teachers’ Federation.

Teachers are hesitant to take away students’ phones because they would be responsible if the devices are lost, damaged or stolen, she said. “It leads to so many issues and so many problems.”

Really? If teachers can’t manage something as simple as making sure students put their phones away, maybe they should be in another line of work.

But what about the province’s elementary teachers? Following its recent bargaining, the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (ETFO) this week “proposed revisions to some of the very issues cited by the education minister today, e.g., social media use by students, and tobacco and vaping misuse,” according to the group’s website.

Rather than welcoming a change that will benefit its members, the union chose to fuss about not being consulted on the exact details of the provincial plan. Perhaps the most remarkable thing about the new restrictions on cellphone use, vaping and smoking is that they are intended to apply to all students, regardless of skin colour, gender identity or socio-economic background.

While this might seem perfectly sensible, it’s a radical departure for public education.

When it comes to discipline in Ontario schools, too often it comes down not to what the student did, but what group they belong to.

There is a deeply entrenched fear of disciplining students of any identifiable group because it can lead to accusations of discrimination, even racism.

Education Minister Stephen Lecce sent a clear message to teachers, principals and superintendents when he said he would have their backs when it came to enforcing the new cellphone rules.

It’s important to re-establish rules and consequences in the schools and it falls to the province to do it. Too often, discipline has been undermined by school boards and senior administrators whose preferred focus is “social justice.”

For the sake of our students and their teachers, that has to change.

Lecce’s announcement is an important first step on the road to restoring individual responsibility, discipline and clear consequences for students who break the rules.

Don’t stop now, minister.