Ban on cellphones in Ontario classrooms takes effect in November

Overwhelming majority of parents support restrictions on use, says province

Yorkregion.com
August 30, 2019
Dina Al-Shibeeb

A province-wide ban on cellphones in classrooms will begin Nov. 4, Ontario's Education Ministry announced Thursday.

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

According to the province, about 97 per cent of parents, students and teachers who participated in a 2018 consultation on education reform said that cellphone use should be restricted in some way.

"When in class, students should be focused on their studies, not their social media," said Stephen Lecce, Minister of Education.

"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."