New rules on cellphones as Ontario schools reopen, critics say clarity lacking

New rules that ban the use of cellphones in class are taking effect at schools across Ontario this week, but critics say they're unsure how the regulations will be enforced or how effective they will be.

New rules that ban the use of cellphones in class are taking effect at schools across Ontario this week, but critics say they're unsure how the regulations will be enforced or how effective they will be.

In April, the Ontario government announced a plan to standardize measures on cellphone use in classrooms, saying it wanted to remove distractions from learning time.

While the province had already put in certain restrictions on cellphones in 2019, the new rules set more specific guidelines that are broken down by grade.

Starting next week, students in kindergarten to Grade 6 must keep cellphones on silent and out of sight for the entire school day. For students in Grade 7 to Grade 12, cellphones cannot be used during class time. The province has said cellphones may only be used if permitted by an educator, or if students have special education or medical needs.

While the overall aim of reducing distractions is welcome, teachers unions say they need clarity on how the rules should be enforced and support for educators that have to implement them.

"Principals don’t know what it means. School boards are kind of all over the place,” said Rene Jansen in de Wal, president of the Ontario English Catholic Teachers Association. "I have teachers calling me who are just beside themselves."

Teachers are unclear on what happens if they confiscate a phone and it gets damaged or stolen in the process, or what staff should do if a student reacts violently to their phone being taken away, he said.