Saskatchewan latest province to restrict cellphone use in school classrooms

REGINA — The Saskatchewan government is following the lead of other provinces in announcing that students won’t be allowed to use cellphones in class in the upcoming school year, a move critics call a distraction from more pressing issues like funding.

The announcement applies to all kindergarten to Grade 12 classrooms.

Education Minister Jeremy Cockrill said that too often, phones are taking students’ attention away from their lessons.

“When our kids are in the classroom in Saskatchewan, we want as much of their time and energy and focus to be on their teachers and to be on learning,” he said Tuesday.

Saskatchewan joins provinces including Alberta, B.C., Quebec, Ontario and Nova Scotia that have moved to restrict cellphones in schools.

“We’re all hearing from parents and families and teachers in our respective provinces that there’s a concern about this,” said Cockrill.

While some classrooms in Saskatchewan already forbid cellphones, he said the aim is to create consistent rules across the province.

“It’s really hard to enforce a rule when you know another teacher down the hall or another teacher next door to you isn’t enforcing the same rule,” he said, flagging the negative mental health impact of the devices on children.

He said details of enforcement is to be left up to school divisions.

The minister said he’s spoken with teachers and received feedback from the Saskatchewan School Boards Association, but he has yet to consult with the Saskatchewan Teachers’ Federation about the issue.

Federation president Samantha Becotte said although cellphones can sap students’ attention, there are more significant challenges facing the province’s education system.

“We have growing class sizes. We have diminishing support in our schools for students. And a ban on cellphones, or a limitation on cellphone use, is a bit of a distraction from those big issues,” she said.

Becotte said students need more professional support, including from mental health counsellors and educational assistants, and more one-on-one time with their teachers — which comes with smaller class sizes.

“The limitation on cellphones isn’t going to change anything drastically,” she said.

Becotte said she has high expectations there will be consultation with teachers and school principals before they’re expected to implement the new policy in the fall.

Matt Love, the Opposition NDP’s education critic, said in a statement that cellphones have become a distraction in classrooms but the biggest issue facing schools is a lack of funding.

“Saskatchewan used to have the best-funded schools in the country but under (Premier) Scott Moe, we’re now last. It’s time to properly fund our classrooms and get Saskatchewan out of last place in education,” he said.

Bernie Howe, chair of the Prairie Spirit Board of Education, said the change will allow staff to focus on teaching students.

“It is important to take steps like these that work to improve our students’ mental well-being and academic success,” he said in a government news release.

The province said there are to be some exemptions for instructional purposes for high school classes, as well as for students with medical or learning needs.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 6, 2024.

— By Lisa Johnson in Edmonton

The Canadian Press