The Ontario provincial government plans to issue a classroom cellphone ban, according to a new report from the Canadian Press.
The directive, set to go out next week, would prohibit the use of all cellphones, including smartphones, during class time. The ban would go into effect at the start of the 2019 – 2020 school year.
The government will reportedly allow exceptions to teachers who want to integrate the technology into their lesson plans, as well as to students with special needs. Additionally, students could also use their smartphones in case of a medical emergency.
Individual boards and school will be responsible for enforcement of the ban, reports CP.
A classroom cellphone ban was one the promises Premier Doug Ford and the Progressive Conservatives made during the 2018 election campaign.
In consultations the provincial government conducted last year, some 97 percent of respondents said they were in favour of some type of restriction on cellphone use, according to CP‘s government sources.
“It was the closest thing we got in our consultation to unanimity,” said one of the sources CP spoke to.
Of course, it’s one thing to ban something and completely something else to enforce that ban. As the Canadian Press notes, the Toronto District School Board used to have a blanket cellphone ban. The board lifted the ban after it found enforcing it was almost impossible.
What do you think of a classroom cellphone ban? Let us know in the comments.
Source: Canadian Press
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