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Winnipeg Free Press

First school year of cellphone ban well-received: minister

Sweeping restrictions on cellphone use in schools are here to stay, despite frustrations related to inconsistent enforcement and student workarounds during the 2024-25 rollout. Manitoba banned phones in elementary classrooms last summer and introduced new rules to silence devices and keep them out of sight during Grade 9 to 12 lessons. 'How practical is that going to be in the real world? AI exists. Cellphones exist. Banning them is only going to make us sneakier,' said Diana Bonakdar, who just finished Grade 11 in Winnipeg. Diana and Nadia Lovallo, the new co-presidents of the student council at St. Mary's Academy, question the effectiveness of the policy and its long-term impact. 'It scares people, but it doesn't stop them. We just find other ways to connect,' Nadia said, noting that school administrators blocked access to Snapchat on the campus WiFi network so teenagers started using VPNs (virtual private networks) to access the app. 'We're addicted to our phones. We grew up with them, so it's like telling someone to, 'Just quit smoking,' right away,' she said. Reflecting on the policy on the first official day of summer break, Education Minister Tracy Schmidt said her office received overwhelmingly positive feedback about it. The mother of three acknowledged that students found ways to sneak phones, but she suggested this 'slippage' demonstrates the addictive nature of the devices and the importance of keeping restrictions in tact. 'For me, it just really reinforces the need for us as government and as educators and as schools to really step in and help kids find that balance,' Schmidt said. The minister indicated that school leaders attributed the new rules on accessing devices to increased levels of student engagement and greater in-person discussion and laughter on kindergarten-to-Grade 12 campuses. Multiple high school teachers told the Free Press that consistent enforcement backed by the principal of a school was key to the policy's hyperlocal success, or else students shrugged off the rules. 'Teachers set a standard. Kids learn which teachers have what standards. They know the ones who are wishy-washy and bad at classroom management, or are trying to be friends with the kids,' said one teacher who wanted his name withheld from print for fear of retribution. He indicated that differing opinions about whether cellphones had a place in his school caused tension among staff members. Some teachers were strict while others openly used their phone during the day, the teacher said. The president of the Manitoba Teachers' Society said in a statement Monday that members' thoughts on the new approach to devices were 'largely positive.' 'Some teachers use technology much more than others, and not all teachers use technology or need to monitor it in the same ways,' said union leader Lillian Klausen, who represents upwards of 16,600 public school teachers. High school teachers were permitted to allow phones during class periods this year if it was strictly for educational purposes. The rules also allowed teenagers in most high schools to access their phones during breaks. (That was not the case at St. Mary's Academy, as senior years students were asked to be leaders for their younger peers and follow the same rules as the grade 7 and 8 students.) Executive members of the Manitoba Association of Education Technology Leaders have repeatedly expressed hesitation about the partial phone ban since it was announced. The self-imposed mandate of the organization is to 'promote and publicize the effective acquisition, organization, deployment, and integration of technology' in local schools. Association president Richard Roberts warned about the 'out of sight, out of mind' phenomenon. 'Knowing that they have cellphones in their pockets, whether it's secretly at school or it's once they go home, are we actively educating them to be responsible, well-balanced citizens?' said Roberts, a teacher and technology integration consultant in Winnipeg. Roberts said all students need to develop a skill-set to leverage technology and use it in an ethical way. For that reason, he said he would love to see the province give middle years teachers more autonomy next year to integrate phones back into lesson periods on a case-by-case basis to improve digital literacy education. Maggie MacintoshEducation reporter Maggie Macintosh reports on education for the Free Press. Originally from Hamilton, Ont., she first reported for the Free Press in 2017. Read more about Maggie. Funding for the Free Press education reporter comes from the Government of Canada through the Local Journalism Initiative. Every piece of reporting Maggie produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press's tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press's history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates. Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber. Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.