Many children across the Hamilton, Halton and the Niagara Region are heading back to school this week — but new rule changes are slated to bring about a different atmosphere within the classroom this year.

A cellphone ban which was announced in April is set go into practice on the first day of school but questions around its enforcement remain.

“I think the benefit of a ban like this is just the consistency across different classrooms and schools,” Dr. Jay Olson, a postdoctoral fellow with the University of Toronto.

“If there’s inconsistent enforcement across the classrooms and schools, then it’s harder for people to change their habits versus students realizing overall in class, they don’t use their smart phone, as opposed to just science class you can’t use a smart phone but you can in math.”

The ban means students in grade six and below will be prohibited from using a cellphone during the school through the entire day, and students in grade seven and above will be permitted to use their cellphones only outside of class time.

Another ban set to come into practice is one of vaping — not that it ever was permitted. However, now students caught with devices will have them confiscated and parents will be notified immediately.