The Ontario Ministry of Education has instructed school boards to develop policies to eliminate vaping in schools and reduce distractions caused in classrooms by cell phones.

Our school board is in the process of updating its policies, but as of this September there will be some new practices in place that parents should know about, and should discuss with their children.

Cell Phones

Students in elementary schools who have cell phones will be expected to have them powered off and stored away throughout the full instructional school day, including nutrition breaks, unless permitted by the educator for educational purposes. 

Students in secondary schools will be expected to have their cell phones powered off and stored away during class time unless they have received explicit instructions from their teacher to use them for educational purposes.

Exceptions will be made for those students who require cell phones for medical purposes, or special education needs.

Students are responsible for their personal mobile devices and how they use them. If an educator sees a cell phone not stored out of view and powered off, elementary students will be instructed to place it in a location designated by the Principal, while secondary students will be instructed to place it in a location designated by the educator.

If the student fails to comply with the direction, the student will be sent to the Principal’s office.

When dealing with a student who fails to comply with an educator’s direction, the Principal will exercise their discretion and consider a range of responses to address the student’s behaviour. The response must be in line with provincial guidelines on progressive discipline.

Social media platforms can only be used by students at school for educational purposes, as directed by an educator. Student access to social media platforms on school networks and school devices will be restricted. 

Vaping

The Smoke-Free Ontario Act, 2017 prohibits the smoking of tobacco and cannabis as well as vaping any substance in public schools and on public school property, as well as within 20 meters from the perimeter of school property. Students cannot possess or use tobacco, nicotine, cannabis or vapor at school. If these products are found in the possession of students, their families will be notified and students must surrender the items to staff. 

To help eliminate vaping in our schools, we are installing sensors in school washrooms which will alert school administrators when this occurs. Any students caught vaping in washrooms, or anywhere on school property will be required to relinquish the device to an educator. The Principal/designate will determine if further measures are needed (e.g. progressive discipline). Opportunities for students to learn from inappropriate behaviours and make better choices will be considered. 

We value the cooperation of parents in our efforts to reduce distractions from student learning, as well as our efforts to promote student health. We hope that you will do everything you can to help enforce these new practices by discussing them with your children and encouraging them to respectfully follow the rules.