Students at a Toronto middle school have been banned from using cellphones in school.
Starting next week, students at Earl Grey Senior Public School, which only teaches grades 7 and 8, will not be permitted to have or use their mobile devices while in classrooms or hallways. That means students will be required to stash their phones in their lockers.
Toronto District School Board spokesperson Ryan Bird says the ban is a result of consultations with parents and staff who expressed concerns about the phones becoming a distraction.
Since September, students have been prohibited from texting, taking photos or signing into social media over the school’s lunch hour.
Bird said that instances where school activities or lessons where a cell phone may be “helpful,” students may be permitted to use their own phones. However, “it is dependent on individual lessons.”
Bird said that this may be the first ban on cellphones in classrooms and hallways for the TDSB.
With files from CTV Toronto
