Skip to content

Quebec to ban cellphones in elementary and high school classrooms

Survey found 92 per cent of teachers were in favour of such a measure.
33686066_web1_20230823090856-64e6109b6b7e2f4334d8ab71jpeg
It’s the final bell for cellphones in Quebec classrooms as the province’s Education Department plans to ban their use in most teaching settings. A person uses a cellphone in Ottawa in this Monday, July 18, 2022 file photo. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

It’s the final bell for cellphones in Quebec classrooms as the province’s Education Department plans to ban their use in most teaching settings.

Education Minister Bernard Drainville is scheduled to make the announcement this morning.

The directive would only apply to public elementary and high schools and would still allow teachers to use mobile phones for lessons.

A spring survey of 7,000 teachers conducted by a federation of 34 teacher unions found that 92 per cent of respondents were in favour of such a measure.

Federation president Josée Scalabrini said at the time that teachers wanted to reduce distractions in the classroom and were increasingly concerned about being filmed without their knowledge.

Drainville has previously indicated that he was open to considering a general ban.

READ ALSO: B.C. school teens showed improved grades and social skills after a ban on phones

READ ALSO: Utah social media law is ambitious, but is it enforceable?