TDSB to mull cellphone ban amid renewed concerns of distractions in class

A Toronto District School Board (TDSB) trustee hopes to convince school officials that a board-wide policy on cellphones in class — one that could include phone bans and social media restrictions — is needed to help get education for school-age children back on track.

In a notice of motion filed to the board Wednesday night, TDSB chair Rachel Chernos Lin advocated for an updated policy on cellphone use in schools that's both in line with provincial guidance and consistent across the board.

The board has a "procedure" on cellphone usage that says kids should only be on personal mobile devices for educational purposes, but Chernos Lin says it's challenging to enforce, can be applied differently in each school and isn't widely known. 

"Since the time I became a trustee five years ago, this is one issue that has been repeatedly raised with me from parents," said Chernos Lin, trustee for Don Valley West.

"If trustees agree with me, we're looking to create something that has a little more teeth and that sets very clear expectations."

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The motion is the latest resurgence of how to deal with students inappropriately using mobile phones during class or at school, which has been a long-standing problem. The board originally implemented a cellphone policy ban in 2007, but that was lifted in 2011. At the time, the board said the move helped shift policy toward teaching students how to use technology responsibly.

But Chernos Lin says a rethink on the issue is needed due to the rise of different social media apps, an increase in overall screen time and the fact that students are still adjusting to in-person learning after years of disruptions throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.

"We had a long time of not interacting face to face, and we want to ensure that kids are really developing their social abilities to the best of their abilities, that they're making every minute count in class," she said.

Province supports move, but expert, teacher urge caution

The province addressed the issue of phones in schools in 2019, when it mandated that all mobile devices only be used during lessons for educational purposes as directed, health and medical purposes, or for special education needs.

Isha Chaudhuri, senior communications advisor and press secretary for the Ministry of Education said in an email to CBC Toronto that it welcomes the TDSB's move "to build on the government's policy."

"We are committed to removing the learning distractions that are holding students back from focusing on the foundational skills that will set them up for success," she wrote.

But while others agree the problem exists, they argue instituting a ban isn't the right way to handle it.

Jason Bradshaw, a science teacher at Peel District School Board's Castlebrooke Secondary School in Brampton, says efforts should be focused on teaching students how to use their phones appropriately and with the right boundaries.

"I think that we we have to be realistic about the fact that these young people are going out into a world where they are going to have their cell phone with them," said Bradshaw.

But since a provincial cell phone policy does exist, Bradshaw says it's up to school boards to properly support teachers that do choose to enforce cell phone bans in their classrooms.

"There are many teachers who don't feel supported in that ... but the responsibility and the right of teachers to establish the expectation in their classroom shouldn't be removed."

Joel Westheimer, the university research chair in democracy and education at the University of Ottawa, says a phone ban may only be truly effective if schools look toward replicating that sense of community and connection without the use of technology.

"Schools can't just ban cell phones outright without thinking of the ways that students do use social media and cell phones to connect with one another. And so you have to replace that with something else," he said.

TDSB trustees on its governance and policy committee will meet on Jan.17 to further discuss implementing the motion.