The province is cracking down on cellphone use and vaping in schools by introducing new measures for the start of the 2024- 2025 school year.
Students in kindergarten to Grade 6 will be required to keep phones on silent and out of sight for the entire school day, unless permitted by an educator.
Meanwhile, for students in Grade 7 to Grade 12 cellphone use will not be permitted in classrooms, unless permitted by an educator.
Additionally, social media sites will be removed from all social networks and devices and report cards will include comments on students' distraction levels in class.
Ontario will also be providing mandatory training for teachers and new supports for students and parents.
"We have heard loud and clear from parents and teachers alike that cellphones in classrooms are distracting kids from learning," said Stephen Lecce, Minister of Education. When it comes to cellphone use our policy is out of site out of mind as we get students back to basics by restoring focus, safety and common sense back in Ontario schools."
The province is also strengthening rules around students caught using or carrying vapes or e-cigarettes.
Students will be required to surrender these products, along with parents being notified about the situation immediately.
As announced in the Ontario 2024 Budget, $30 million will be going towards installing vape detectors and other security upgrades at schools.
The government will also be investing $17.5 million in new wrap around supports for student mental health and parent engagement.
This funding will include:
$15 million to provide supports for students at risk of addictive behaviours
$1 million to partner with School Mental Health Ontario to develop webinars and resources targeted to parents and students across the province to learn how to talk about the adverse effects of vaping and excessive cellphone usage
$1.5 million to Parent Involvement Committees and students to run local prevention campaigns to help deter vaping and cellphone distractions.
"By removing distractions in the classroom, students can focus on learning the skills they need to succeed after graduation," the province said in a media release.