Effectiveness of student cellphone ban questioned
Major issues such as classroom violence mental health ignored, says teachers’ union boss
Students, parents and teachers are expressing confusion and worry in the aftermath of the provincial government’s new cellphone rules
With policies regulating the use of technology already in place at Niagara’s two English-speaking school boards, the provincial government’s forthcoming cellphone restrictions are expected to result in minimal changes in local classrooms.
But that hasn’t stopped students, parents and teachers from expressing confusion and worry in the aftermath of this week’s announcement.
Simona Berardocco, a Grade 11 District School Board of Niagara (DSBN) student, said she was “a little surprised” by the direction from Queen’s Park.
“Phones definitely play a role of distraction within a classroom setting, but I didn’t think that it would be something that would start to be controlled by the government,” she said.
In her school, some students won’t see any change, she said, noting some teachers are stricter than others when it comes to cellphone use.
But Berardocco said she is uncertain whether removing phones altogether “will fully solve the problem” when it comes to classroom attentiveness.
“There are definitely people (who) will just find another thing to do,” she said.
“There is probably going to be an increase on the focus level of the class as a result (of banning cellphones), I just am unsure if that level of gained attention is going to be as significant as the government is anticipating.”
Over the weekend, the provincial government announced its Ontario-wide ban on cellphones in classrooms is an effort to improve
student concentration. Beginning next academic year, all phones must remain on silent mode and out of view during school hours.
Students in kindergarten through Grade 6 will see those rules apply for the entire school day. Those in Grade 7 and above, however, will be allowed to use the devices between classes or during lunch.
Exceptions can be made for students who ask permission.
To set an example, teachers and classroom assistants will be asked to also not use their phones.
The province also said access to social media sites during the school day on board-owned devices and anyone using school networks will be prohibited.
For Amber Hughes, DSBN’s parent involvement committee chair, the announcement appears to be less of a ban and more about enforcement.
She is interested in seeing how it rolls out from a government “famous for making an announcement without providing a ton of detail.”
“We know that phones can be a valuable resource in schools when they’re used properly, but I definitely see the risks in terms of distraction and bullying and all the things that go along with having a phone,” said Hughes.
Removing access to social media sites, she said, “I don’t think that’s terribly inappropriate.”
While she allows her 15-yearold son to take his phone to school, she said she does not allow her fifth-grade daughter to do the same, so the new rules will not apply to her.
“It’s a little bit different in the high school level because they are leaving the school property and so to bring that phone with them makes sense,” she said.
She said it’s her job to educate her children about technology and let them know teachers are at school to educate, not monitor cellphones.
“Technology is not going anywhere. We are depending on it more and more and so we need to ensure that going forward, our kids understand when it is and isn’t appropriate to be using their phone and what the suitable content looks like,” said Hughes.
“Most adults that I know still don’t manage their cellphones appropriately.”
Jennifer McArthur, president of the Niagara elementary unit of Ontario English Catholic Teachers’ Association, said teachers have raised concerns about cellphone misuse for years, but despite the province’s announcement, it’s unclear how the guidelines will improve conditions.
“It may actually result in teachers taking more time to police cellphone activity, which means less time for teaching,” she said.
McArthur said the province is deflecting and ignoring more challenging topics on the minds of teachers, such as increased violence in the classroom and an urgent need for student mental-health supports.
To her, officials in Premier Doug Ford’s government are “completely out-of-touch.”
“They ignore teachers’ expertise and push items onto teachers without genuine dialogue about the learning environment,” said McArthur.
While the new rules will streamline school board procedures across Ontario, both DSBN and the Niagara Catholic District School Board have policies in place which address the use of mobile phones by students and teachers.
Niagara Catholic said its internet network blocks mainstream social media sites such as Snapchat, TikTok and Instagram, sites containing adult and extreme content and streaming services such as Netflix.
“We believe that social media has a time and a place, and class time — with very, very few exceptions, such as learning how to be discerning consumers of information — is not the appropriate place,” said Jennifer Pellegrini, communications officer for the Catholic school board.
“We also have systems in place that prevent students from accessing these sites on board devices or networks using a VPN.”
With changes not taking effect until September, DSBN communications officer Milica Petkovic said the public board has time to be “intentional and thoughtful” in its approach, address blocking access to social media sites and further build upon procedures and polices already in place.