Here's how Ottawa's school boards plan to enforce new restrictions on cellphones, vaping - Action News
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Here's how Ottawa's school boards plan to enforce new restrictions on cellphones, vaping

As students prepare to return to class, school boards in Ottawa and across Ontario will have to contend with a provincial ban on vape pens and tougher restrictions on cellphones.

Provincial mandates announced earlier this year coming into play as students head back to class

Students gather outside of Francojeunesse Public Elementary School on the first day of the 2024-2025 school year.
Students gather outside Francojeunesse Public Elementary School in Ottawa on Tuesday, the first day of the 2024-25 academic year. (Nick Perseud/CBC)

As students prepare to return to class, school boards in Ottawa and across Ontario will have to contend with a provincial ban on vape pens and tougher restrictions on cellphones.

Earlier this year, Ontario's Minister of Education Stephen Lecce announced new restrictions aimed at cuttingdown on distractions in the classroom.

Students fromkindergarten to Grade 6 will now be required to keep their phones on silent and "out of sight" for the entire school day, unless they're granted special permission.Students in Grades 7 to 12won't be permitted to use their cellphonesduring class without permission.

Vaping is also banned in all schools, along with tobacco, nicotine and cannabis products.

It's a move welcomed by some Ottawa parents whose children returned to French public school boardclassrooms Tuesday.

"We already are seeing the kind of negative impacts that they have on on children, their well-being, their attention spans, their mental health," said Ari Grandsman, whose child attendsFrancojeunesse Public Elementary School in Sandy Hill.

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Christian-Charle Bouchard,director of education for Conseil des coles publiques de l'Est de l'Ontario, said staff and principals have been trained on the new rules.

If a child is caught using a cellphone without permission, a teacher will take the phone, put it in a secure place and then return it to the student at the end of class.

If the student is caught a second time,the phone will be surrendered to the principal until the end of the school day. After a third transgression, thechild's parents will be called to the school to pick up the cellphone.

"That will give us a chance to chat with the parents and see how we can better help the kids," said Bouchard.

Shot from behind of a student holding a cell phone
Students in kindergarten to Grade 6 will be required to keep phones on silent and out of sight for the entire school day, and students in Grades 7 to 12 will not be permitted to use their cellphones during class time without permission. (Lea Suzuki/San Francisco Chronicle/The Associated Press)

Students won't be left without technology entirely, Bouchard noted.

"We have Chromebooks, we have tools for them to use. So there will be technology in the classroom, but there will not be those personal devices that could distract them," he said.

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Officials with the region's French Catholic board,Conseil des coles catholiques du Centre-Est, said there are already restrictions and bans in place at a number of its schools.

"If there are exceptions to be made, the teacher will always have that [discretion]," said Superintendent Jason Dupuis. "I figure thata lot of our teachers this year will decide not to allow it, but they have that freedom."

 Jason Dupuis is the superintendent of education for Conseil des coles catholiques du Centre-Est.
Jason Dupuis is superintendent of education for Conseil des coles catholiques du Centre-Est. (Nick Persaud/CBC)

'Not about catching students'

In an effort to prepare families for the start of school next week, officials with the Ottawa Catholic School Board sent home letters outlining the changes and what they'll mean for students.

The board's director of education Tom D'Amicosaid the new restrictions are unlikely to eliminate this behaviour completely, however.

While certain steps will be take if students are caught flouting the rules,D'Amico said the focus this year will be about educating kids on the harmful affects of these habits.

"It really is about changing behaviours, not about catching students," he said.

The board will also provide training for staff and workshops for parents so theycan be better informed when speaking with the children.

Officials with the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board, the city's largest,declined CBC's requests for an interview, but notedit had updated its policies in June to reflect the new provincial mandates

With files from Ottawa Morning and Radio-Canada