'A culture change:' Ontario launches advertising blitz as new cellphone ban goes into effect for public schools

Ontario’s new education minister says that the government has begun an advertising blitz to make students and parents aware of a new cellphone ban that will be in effect when classes resume next week.

For the coming school year, students in kindergarten to Grade 6 will be asked to keep their phones on silent and out of sight for the entire day, unless permitted by an educator.

Students in Grades 7 and 12 will be permitted to use cellphones on school property but only outside of class time.

“This is a new initiative and it is a culture change that's happening in our classrooms. I want teachers and principals to know that we have your backs,” Education Minister Jill Dunlop said during a press conference on Thursday morning, where she discussed many of the changes coming to Ontario’s public schools this fall. “If the teacher is asking cell phones to be put away or turned off and if students do not abide by those rules, they'll be asked to put the cell phone in a safe space in the classroom. If students do not follow that, they'll be asked to go to the principal’s office.”

The Ford government announced the cellphone ban back in April but the news rules only take effect with the start of the 2024-2025 school year.

As part of the new policy, social media sites will also be blocked on all school networks and devices.

Students will be allowed to use cell phones during class time if it is for a legitimate educational purpose but that will be up to the discretion of teachers.

“I was an educator as well, that's in the college area, but I saw firsthand the distraction that cell phones can cause in the classroom,” Dunlop said. “It is a distraction not just amongst the students themselves with their phones but amongst their peers and also the teachers who are there to teach. So we are removing distractions to ensure students success and ensure students can focus on what is being taught in the classroom.”

Dunlop said that the advertising campaign about the new rules began this week and will include online and print spots.

Looking ahead to the return of students next week, she conceded that “enforcement is going to be a big issue” but said that there are existing disciplinary policies in place that will allow educators to enforce the new policy.

“The minimum standards have been set and there are discipline policies in place and we will support educators and principals in the actions that they take,” she said.

The Ford government is largely leaving it up to individual school boards to determine how to best enforce the new rules.

A spokesperson for the Toronto District School Board told CTV News on Thursday that it is currently revising its code of conduct and current policies to reflect the new rules.

The board says that for September principals will have discretion to consider a range of disciplinary measures for violating the policy, including suspension.

“The student is responsible for their personal mobile device, how they use it and the consequences of not following the school board’s policy on personal mobile device use,” an existing TDSB policy document states.

More changes coming

The cellphone ban is one of several changes slated to take effect for the start of the school year.

The Ford government has also introduced stricter rules stipulating that any student caught using or carrying vapes or cigarettes be asked to surrender the product and that their parents be “immediately” notified.

The government is investing $47.5 million to support the implementation of the new rules. Including $30 million that will help schools boards pay for vape detectors and other security upgrades.

A total of $15 million has also been set aside to support the expansion of programs that offer direct supports to students who are at risk of substance use and addictive behaviours.