It’s been four weeks since Manitoba’s francophone school division, the division scolaire Franco-Manitobaine (DSFM), banned student cell phones in their schools. So far, the division is happy with the way the policy is being implemented.
In Ritchot, DSFM schools include École Sainte-Agathe and École Régional Gabrielle-Roy.
The policy took effect in September when students returned from summer break. According to the DSFM, student cell phones are absolutely restricted from being brought into any Kindergarten to Grade 8 school.
At the high school level, cell phones and earbuds aren’t allowed to be taken into the classroom. Students are allowed to use their phones during lunch breaks and spares.
It’s a tough stance to take with a generation of young people who view their cell phone as an extension of themselves. But after consulting with administrators, teachers, staff, union representatives, and even a few students earlier this year, the division decided it was worth a try.
“A few years ago, cell phones were used as a pedagogical tool,” says Alain Laberge, division superintendent. “We’ve noticed that nowadays cell phones are used to surf the web, exchange non-school-related text messages, watch TikTok, and even cheat. It is also a distraction, as many students would listen to music—with wireless earbuds—while teachers were teaching.”
Since the classrooms are already equipped with laptops for research, the division determined that cell phones provided little to no value in the classroom anymore.
Laberge says that administrators were grateful for the division’s decision to step in and handle the situation.
“I would say that a few people were afraid of the students’ and parents’ reactions and did not want to make waves,” Laberge says. “I sat with them, I heard their concerns, but it was important for me to let them know that, while nobody wants to be the bad guy, we need to take responsibility and be accountable for our decision. As educators, we sometimes need to make difficult decisions, but if they are based on improving students’ success, we could rarely go wrong.”
Teachers, likewise, were relieved to have a universal policy in place.
“While some teachers already had a code of conduct in their classrooms asking students to store their devices, we had noticed an increase in the use of cell phones during classes where teachers did not have such policy,” Laberge says. “We wanted to standardize the practice so schools are homogenous.”
When the new policy was first introduced, Laberge said the vast majority of students were understanding. Parents, too, were very receptive to the plan. Many emailed the division indicating their personal support.
A number of parents did air concerns about access to their student in case of emergency. Laberge says that they were reassured that the situation would revert to the previous way of doing things, with school receptionists acting as the liaison between parent and student.
About four weeks into the new directive, Laberge says that the schools have had no issue with enforcement so far.
But should the need arise, the cell phone policy includes details on certain punitive measures that teachers and administrators are welcome to use.
Depending on the situation, the teacher can either warn the student to put the device out of reach or, if necessary, they can confiscate the device and deliver it into the hands of the principal. Once a device is confiscated, parents are contacted and advised to pick it up at the end of the school day.
Laberge says that the policy will be monitored closely and reviewed on an annual basis.
“In education, [nothing] should ever be a permanent fixture, as this would mean we are static and that we are not open to hear and learn from our environment.”
Other School Divisions
As far as Laberge is aware, the DSFM is the first school division in Manitoba to take this tough stance on cell phones.
In other divisions, varying positions are taken. Some divisions have policies in place to guide the use of cell phones, while others rely on school administrators in their division to make such determinations.
Ryan Anderson is the superintendent and CEO of the Seine River School Division (SRSD), which oversees governance of Ritchot’s two French immersion Kindergarten to Grade 8 schools: École St. Adolphe and École Île-des-Chênes.
According to Anderson, the SRSD does not have a division policy specific to cell phones.
“There are a range of approaches to student cell phone use in SRSD schools,” says Anderson. “These approaches are often reflected in a school’s parent handbook and/or student code of conduct. Principals will often use those materials to address the use of cell phones at school.”
In the case of École St. Adolphe, for example, the parent handbook states: “It is expected that all electronic equipment, including cell phones, iPods, cameras, etc. remain at home. They are expensive devices and the school will not be responsible for lost, broken or stolen items. Unauthorized use of such devices may result in the item being confiscated until the end of the school day. Only our divisional iPad project classes should have electronics at school.”
Consequences for the misuse of cell phones or other devices are the same as they would be for any other code of conduct violation, he says, and based on a school’s policies and procedures manual.
In all circumstances, though, SRSD insists that students are to be treated with dignity and respect and circumstances when correction is needed. These can be used as teaching and learning opportunities.
The Hanover School Division (HSD), which oversees three schools in Niverville, does have a cell phone policy in place which emphasizes their responsible use in the school setting.
In the early years—Kindergarten through Grade 4—student cell phones are not permitted on school premises without explicit permission from the principal.
For Grades 5 to 6, personal technology devices may enter the school but must remain in a student’s locker.
By the time a student reaches Grades 7 and 8, HSD believes that providing limited use of devices to students can be, in and of itself, a teaching tool.
“Students [at this level] are at the age where it is important to start preparing for how to effectively and respectfully use cell phones at school,” the policy states. “This is a critical step in preparing students for Grades 9 to 12, where greater independence with personal devices is provided.”
As expected, high school students in HSD must follow the protocols set out by their school administration. The policy created by the division at this stage is intended to govern the use of devices for the purpose of taking videos, photos, or voice recordings of students or adults without their express permission.
Unless permitted by the teacher, personal devices containing cameras are also prohibited during tests and assessments.
The division policy does take a hard stance in one very specific circumstance: “Recordings made secretively and/or used maliciously will result in disciplinary action up to and including expulsion and a police report.”
