Parents hung up on Manitoba’s school cell phone ban

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As parents prepare to send their kids back to school some oppose new rules that will ban cell phones from Manitoba classrooms and intend to send their kids to school with their phones.

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“Yes, my children will still be bringing their devices, and no I do not believe they should be using them during class time,” Korissa Leigh, a mother to multiple children in the Steinbach-based Hanover School Division (HSD) said on Tuesday.

In July, HSD announced that it was banning cell phones for grades K-8 students in the division beginning in the 2024-25 school year, and then in August the NDP government announced it would implement a province-wide K-8 cell phone ban beginning this September that will include some exceptions.

Even before the government announced the province-wide ban, Leigh said she strongly opposed the ban, because she said her kids are just outside of the bus catchment area and walk a far distance to get to school, while many of their classmates who live near them can catch a bus.

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“Walking to and from school has already posed risks to my children, and after certain scenarios, I bought my children phones,” Leigh said. “I’m more concerned of the walk to and from school. There were a lot of safety concerns the past few years, and I doubt the school is going to rush to rescue if problems arise off school property.”

Now that a ban has been implemented across the province, Leigh said that does not change her opinion that she should be able to send her kids to school with phones or mobile devices, and that she should have a way to reach her kids and for them to reach her if there is an emergency.

“No, the ban implemented by the province has not changed how I feel about the topic,” she said. “The purpose of the devices being brought to school are for communication on the way to and from school, and if issues arise at school.”

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Leigh added she wishes that the province and local school boards could have found a way to continue allowing phones in K-8 schools, while at the same time finding ways for them to be less of a distraction in class, by teaching kids to use them responsibly.

“I can’t speak for other parents, but my children used their devices last year for the intended purpose. I have never received a call from my children’s school regarding them using their devices during school hours,” Leigh said.

Parent Tori Firth, who has a daughter starting school at an HSD middle school this week said she is also against the ban, and said she will not follow it.

“We already decided once she was walking daily we would get a SIM card so we can track her and she can contact us in case of emergency,” Firth said. “I don’t think children in this day and age should be walking around without either an adult or, if they are old enough to walk alone, some sort of tracking device.

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“I’m annoyed because these are our children and we just want to ensure they come home safely.”

Education Minister Nello Altomare said in a media release after the province-wide ban was announced that research shows schools and students have better outcomes when kids leave their phones at home.

“We know cell phones can be a real distraction for students, and studies show it can take up to 20 minutes for a child to refocus on what they were learning once distracted,” Altomare said.

“These provincial guidelines will give teachers the tools they need to keep students focused and ensure class time is spent on learning. Plus, we will take safety and medical concerns into account so all risks are minimized.”

As part of the new guidelines, there will also be greater restrictions on cell phone use for high school students, as starting this school year kids in grades 9 to 12 in Manitoba will not be allowed to use their phones during class time, with cell phone use now only permitted during breaks and lunch periods.

The ban will include exceptions to support students with medical and diverse learning needs, as well as cell phone use for educational purposes in grades 9 to 12 “when directed by classroom teachers,” the province said.

— Dave Baxter is a Local Journalism Initiative reporter who works out of the Winnipeg Sun. The Local Journalism Initiative is funded by the Government of Canada.

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