‘Just a few absences’ as students protest Quebec school cellphone ban

Few students skipped class on Friday to protest Quebec's new ban on cellphones in schools.

The student walkout protesting Quebec’s cellphone ban in elementary and high schools appears to have had limited traction in some regions on Friday, according to reports from school service centres.

A call had circulated on social media in recent days, encouraging high school students to mobilize on May 9 against the recent decision by Education Minister Bernard Drainville.

Some posts urged students to stay home to show their opposition to the measure, which is set to take effect at the start of the new school year in September.

The Montreal school service centre, the largest in the province, reported “nothing organized or significant” in terms of protests within its territory.

“Just a few absences here and there, nothing more,” a spokesperson told The Canadian Press.

A similar assessment came from the school service centre in the Quebec City region.

In Mauricie, the school service centre du Chemin-du-Roy also reported no demonstrations or class boycotts at its schools in the morning.

However, a small group of about 20 students staged a peaceful protest over the lunch hour outside École secondaire des Pionniers in Trois-Rivières, holding signs.

“The demonstration went smoothly and peacefully before the students returned to class,” the Chemin-du-Roy service centre communications office said.

It added that the number of absences was “similar to or lower than on May 2.”

While it could not directly link the absenteeism to the walkout movement, the school service centre noted a higher number of unexplained absences.

The Chemin-du-Roy service centre reminded parents earlier this week that Friday would be a regular school day and that, as usual, all absences should be justified.

In Lanaudière, the school service centre des Affluents reported that two schools saw protests — one between two morning periods and another during the lunch break.

Most students returned to class afterward, though a minority chose to skip their remaining classes, said spokesperson Éric Ladouceur.

The day before the protest, Minister Drainville had urged parents to talk to their teens and discourage them from skipping school, emphasizing that academic success should come first.

Last week, the minister announced that cellphones will be banned on the grounds of all Quebec elementary and high schools during the entire school day, including lunch, starting this fall.

The move was the first recommendation of the “Special Commission on the Impacts of Screens and Social Media on the Health and Development of Young People,” which issued an interim report on April 22.

— With files from Thomas Laberge

This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on May 9, 2025.