Sweeping cellphone ban in N.L. schools could take effect in January

Students across Newfoundland and Labrador might be seeing their phones a lot less when they head back to school in January.

The province's Education Department announced Wednesday a proposal to update its Personal Electronic Devices Policy, which will almost entirely wipe out screen time for students from kindergarten to Grade 12.

"We're taking an approach with cellphones right now, similarly to what we've done with vaping and cigarette usage," said Education Minister Krista Lynn Howell told reporters on Wednesday.

"We recognize that there are certainly health implications, mental health in particular, with the usage of these electronic devices, so we don't want to see them in our school day."

According to the proposed policy, available on the NLSchools website, the devices include phones, laptops, smart watches, smart music players, earbuds and gaming devices, with the exception for laptops and tablets used for instructional purposes.

A full ban of cellphones has already been in place in other provinces, such as Ontario and Quebec, and also in some schools in the province.

The current policy doesn't allow students in grades K-6 to bring the devices, and the proposed changes will include junior and high school students, who will be "encouraged" to leave their phones at home, Howell said.

She acknowledged students might need their phones for commitments outside of school, like for work.

But during school, the devices would be in silent mode or turned off and put away — and not to be carried on the body such as in a jacket — during all school hours.

The policy would cover all classrooms and include lunch break and recess.

Exceptions will be made for students who need their devices for medical reasons, she said.

But the policy is not yet set in stone. The proposal is currently open to public feedback until Dec. 6, she says, with the aim of implementing the revised policy when classes resume.

"We want to have as much feedback as possible," she said.

"Hear from our teachers, our staff, our students and parents … because it is going to be the responsibility of all of us to enforce this policy."