Cellphone ban for students to begin in November

The Ontario government has announced a cellphone ban for students will come into effect later this year.

The province says as of Nov. 4, the use of cellphones and other personal mobile devices will be restricted during instructional time at school.

“When in class, students should be focused on their studies, not their social media,” said Stephen Lecce, Minister of Education in a news release. “That’s why we are restricting cellphones and other personal mobile devices in the classroom, while making sure technology is available to help students achieve success in the digital economy and modern workforce.”

Exceptions will be made if cellphones are required for health and medical purposes, to support special education needs, or for educational purposes, as directed by an educator.

The government said 97 per cent of parents, students, and teachers, who participated in the consultation on education reform in fall 2018, said that cellphone use should be restricted in some way.

The province says the new restriction has been added to the Provincial Code of Conduct and sets clear standards of behaviour.