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National Observer
a day ago
- General
- National Observer
'General acceptance': A year of banning cellphones in Canada's classrooms
Sixteen-year-old Roha Akram was skeptical when teachers in Calgary announced a cellphone ban during the first assembly of the school year. "I was like, 'No one's going to follow this,'" the Grade 11 student recalled of the change in September. "It's just the nature of teenagers. We don't like rules." Teachers didn't want to see phones on desks or in pockets, Akram added. "They wanted it in the backpack, in the locker, in the car." She said the ban has been good for some students, who just need a reminder to focus in class, particularly when teachers are speaking. But some have struggled. One teacher took a phone away from a boy who was really attached to his device, she said. "He started acting crazy. He went around asking everyone, 'Can I use your phone? Can I use your phone? I need to go on Instagram.' "I saw phones are kind of becoming an addiction." As the school year wraps up this month, education ministries across Canada say there have been overall positive results from banning cellphones. They say it has taught students not to develop unhealthy attachments to their phones and to focus on lessons in the classroom. Last fall, most provinces introduced policies to limit cellphone use in schools, similar to jurisdictions in other countries. Before the ban in Manitoba, Education Minister Tracy Schmidt said a school librarian complained to her that students were too quiet sitting around the stacks of books. "The students would come in groups, sit down at a table together, pull out their cellphones and they would all sit there. You could hear a pin drop," said Schmidt. The cellphone ban has returned the chatter and socialization among students, she said. "They still come with their groups of friends, but now they're sitting, they're talking, they're laughing. They might pick up a board game. (The librarian) was really, really grateful to the province for taking this step." Ontario's education ministry said parents and teachers find the ban has created a better learning environment. "As we close out the first full year of implementation, we will continue gathering input to understand how the policy has worked in practice, where it has been effective, and where further support may be needed," said spokesperson Emma Testani. In Nova Scotia, school staff were surprised by how smoothly it was to implement the new directive, said education spokesperson Alex Burke. "While not all students like leaving their devices out of the classroom, there is a general acceptance of the benefit of limiting cellphone use and appreciation of the opportunity to ignore their phones," said Burke. The Edmonton Public School Board, Alberta's largest school division, said it didn't notice any significant issues. "Schools had the flexibility to determine how best to implement the ban, whether it meant introducing new practices or adjusting current ones," said spokesperson Kim Smith. A year of the ban doesn't mean students aren't still using phones in class, admitted Akram. Some have just become more sneaky. One fellow student used a textbook to hide his phone while teachers were talking, she said. "He just watches YouTube Shorts the whole class." Akram said she also occasionally uses her phone during work time in class — her AirPods in her ears, under her hijab — so she can listen to music. When teachers do confiscate phones, they're typically returned at the end of class or the school day, she added. Akram said she can see why the ban might be necessary for generation Z and students with unhealthy attachments to their phones. "We were born when people were inventing iPads and iPhones ... so we grew up with screens." She said she thinks teachers will be stricter with the ban next year. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 9, 2025.
Hamilton Spectator
a day ago
- Politics
- Hamilton Spectator
‘General acceptance': A year of banning cellphones in Canadian classrooms
EDMONTON - Sixteen-year-old Roha Akram was skeptical when teachers in Calgary announced a cellphone ban during the first assembly of the school year. 'I was like, 'No one's going to follow this,'' the Grade 11 student recalled of the change in September. 'It's just the nature of teenagers. We don't like rules.' Teachers didn't want to see phones on desks or in pockets, Akram added. 'They wanted it in the backpack, in the locker, in the car.' She said the ban has been good for some students, who just need a reminder to focus in class, particularly when teachers are speaking. But some have struggled. One teacher took a phone away from a boy who was really attached to his device, she said. 'He started acting crazy. He went around asking everyone, 'Can I use your phone? Can I use your phone? I need to go on Instagram.' 'I saw phones are kind of becoming an addiction.' As the school year wraps up this month, education ministries across Canada say there have been overall positive results from banning cellphones. They say it has taught students not to develop unhealthy attachments to their phones and to focus on lessons in the classroom. Last fall, most provinces introduced policies to limit cellphone use in schools, similar to jurisdictions in other countries. Before the ban in Manitoba, Education Minister Tracy Schmidt said a school librarian complained to her that students were too quiet sitting around the stacks of books. 'The students would come in groups, sit down at a table together, pull out their cellphones and they would all sit there. You could hear a pin drop,' said Schmidt. The cellphone ban has returned the chatter and socialization among students, she said. 'They still come with their groups of friends, but now they're sitting, they're talking, they're laughing. They might pick up a board game. (The librarian) was really, really grateful to the province for taking this step.' Ontario's education ministry said parents and teachers find the ban has created a better learning environment. 'As we close out the first full year of implementation, we will continue gathering input to understand how the policy has worked in practice, where it has been effective, and where further support may be needed,' said spokesperson Emma Testani. In Nova Scotia, school staff were surprised by how smoothly it was to implement the new directive, said education spokesperson Alex Burke. 'While not all students like leaving their devices out of the classroom, there is a general acceptance of the benefit of limiting cellphone use and appreciation of the opportunity to ignore their phones,' said Burke. The Edmonton Public School Board, Alberta's largest school division, said it didn't notice any significant issues. 'Schools had the flexibility to determine how best to implement the ban, whether it meant introducing new practices or adjusting current ones,' said spokesperson Kim Smith. A year of the ban doesn't mean students aren't still using phones in class, admitted Akram. Some have just become more sneaky. One fellow student used a textbook to hide his phone while teachers were talking, she said. 'He just watches YouTube Shorts the whole class.' Akram said she also occasionally uses her phone during work time in class — her AirPods in her ears, under her hijab — so she can listen to music. When teachers do confiscate phones, they're typically returned at the end of class or the school day, she added. Akram said she can see why the ban might be necessary for generation Z and students with unhealthy attachments to their phones. 'We were born when people were inventing iPads and iPhones ... so we grew up with screens.' She said she thinks teachers will be stricter with the ban next year. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 9, 2025.
Winnipeg Free Press
a day ago
- Politics
- Winnipeg Free Press
‘General acceptance': A year of banning cellphones in Canadian classrooms
EDMONTON – Sixteen-year-old Roha Akram was skeptical when teachers in Calgary announced a cellphone ban during the first assembly of the school year. 'I was like, 'No one's going to follow this,'' the Grade 11 student recalled of the change in September. 'It's just the nature of teenagers. We don't like rules.' Teachers didn't want to see phones on desks or in pockets, Akram added. 'They wanted it in the backpack, in the locker, in the car.' She said the ban has been good for some students, who just need a reminder to focus in class, particularly when teachers are speaking. But some have struggled. One teacher took a phone away from a boy who was really attached to his device, she said. 'He started acting crazy. He went around asking everyone, 'Can I use your phone? Can I use your phone? I need to go on Instagram.' 'I saw phones are kind of becoming an addiction.' As the school year wraps up this month, education ministries across Canada say there have been overall positive results from banning cellphones. They say it has taught students not to develop unhealthy attachments to their phones and to focus on lessons in the classroom. Last fall, most provinces introduced policies to limit cellphone use in schools, similar to jurisdictions in other countries. Before the ban in Manitoba, Education Minister Tracy Schmidt said a school librarian complained to her that students were too quiet sitting around the stacks of books. 'The students would come in groups, sit down at a table together, pull out their cellphones and they would all sit there. You could hear a pin drop,' said Schmidt. The cellphone ban has returned the chatter and socialization among students, she said. 'They still come with their groups of friends, but now they're sitting, they're talking, they're laughing. They might pick up a board game. (The librarian) was really, really grateful to the province for taking this step.' Ontario's education ministry said parents and teachers find the ban has created a better learning environment. 'As we close out the first full year of implementation, we will continue gathering input to understand how the policy has worked in practice, where it has been effective, and where further support may be needed,' said spokesperson Emma Testani. In Nova Scotia, school staff were surprised by how smoothly it was to implement the new directive, said education spokesperson Alex Burke. 'While not all students like leaving their devices out of the classroom, there is a general acceptance of the benefit of limiting cellphone use and appreciation of the opportunity to ignore their phones,' said Burke. The Edmonton Public School Board, Alberta's largest school division, said it didn't notice any significant issues. 'Schools had the flexibility to determine how best to implement the ban, whether it meant introducing new practices or adjusting current ones,' said spokesperson Kim Smith. A year of the ban doesn't mean students aren't still using phones in class, admitted Akram. Some have just become more sneaky. One fellow student used a textbook to hide his phone while teachers were talking, she said. 'He just watches YouTube Shorts the whole class.' Akram said she also occasionally uses her phone during work time in class — her AirPods in her ears, under her hijab — so she can listen to music. Wednesdays Columnist Jen Zoratti looks at what's next in arts, life and pop culture. When teachers do confiscate phones, they're typically returned at the end of class or the school day, she added. Akram said she can see why the ban might be necessary for generation Z and students with unhealthy attachments to their phones. 'We were born when people were inventing iPads and iPhones … so we grew up with screens.' She said she thinks teachers will be stricter with the ban next year. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 9, 2025.
Calgary Herald
26-05-2025
- Politics
- Calgary Herald
‘Extremely graphic' sexual content found in books at K-9 schools, province says
Books found in some school libraries in Calgary and Edmonton had 'explicit sexual content,' said the provincial government, as it aims to crack-down on materials with inappropriate themes. Article content Article content The 'extremely graphic and age-inappropriate' content was found at some Kindergarten to Grade 9 schools and high schools across the Edmonton Public School Board and Calgary Board of Education, according to the province. Article content Article content Initial reports of the books came from concerned parents last November, according to the provincial minister of education and childcare. Article content Article content 'I sat down with the parents, and they proceeded to show me files with multiple examples of what I would describe as being incredibly inappropriate passages,' said minister Demetrios Nicolaides in an interview Saturday. Article content 'I was completely shocked and taken aback,' he said. Article content Most concerning of all were 'extremely inappropriate' graphic images that display sexual acts, said Nicolaides. Article content Four graphic novels were named in a media release from the province: Gender Queer, by Maia Kobabe; Fun Home, by Alison Bechdel; Blankets, by Craig Thompson; and Flamer, by Mike Curato. Article content However, those were just the 'most severe' cases, according to Nicolaides. Article content 'We didn't have an opportunity to look at the entire list. There (were) maybe dozens and dozens of books that were flagged by some of these parents,' he said. Article content Article content Some of the books contained mature content such as sexual activities, sexual nudity, nudity, molestation, profanity, suicidal commentary, alcohol use, drug use, derogatory terms, violence and self-harm. Article content Several excerpts from each graphic novel were shown in a news release from the province, depicting the above themes in different instances. Article content It's unclear how long the books have been in some schools. In a direct message, Nicolaides' press secretary confirmed the books were found in a total of 57 schools across Calgary and Edmonton, but did not disclose which ones. Article content 'I cannot think of any rationale or reason why they should be available in a school for a child,' said Nicolaides. 'The biggest concern of mine, is that many of these books exist in elementary schools.'
CBC
10-04-2025
- Business
- CBC
Funding formula change will have marginal impact, Edmonton's public school board says
Edmonton Public School Board has been advocating for a change in the school funding formula for years, but now that the province has moved away from the weighted moving average system, the increase in funding wasn't as much as the division had hoped. In a report presented at Wednesday's school board meeting, trustees heard that while the division will receive $50.5 million more overall for next school year, most new funds are driven by enrolment growth, rather than the new formula. This is because the province also eliminated the Supplemental Enrolment Growth Grant, which divisions like Edmonton Public Schools were using to help keep pace with growth. The difference between what the division would have received under the previous formula with the supplement grant, and the current circumstance amounts to $1.1 million, or 0.1 per cent. "We're pretty much status quo because we're just maintaining our current staffing at our current staffing rates," Todd Burnstad, the division's chief financial officer said. In the new adjusted enrolment method, 70 per cent of funding is based on anticipated enrolment, with the remainder based on current student numbers. The report said the change decreases the number of unfunded students in Edmonton Public Schools from 4,002 to 1,301. Grants for classroom complexity increased by 20 per cent. However, the division was notified in February that it would no longer be eligible for Jordan's principle funding, a program intended to support improved services for First Nations children. Changes to bus funding One line item that saw a decrease in the budget is transportation, which is 11.3 per cent lower than last year. Darrel Roberston, superintendent of Edmonton Public Schools, described it as a mistake. "We are also seeing, however, in next year's budget — because of what's being described as a calculation error on the part of Alberta Education — a pretty significant decrease in transportation funding for metro divisions," Robertson said. But Education Minister Demetrios Nicolaides said in a statement to CBC that's not true. "The changes referenced by Edmonton Public School Board regarding transportation funding are not a miscalculation," the statement read. Alberta Education previously gave funding for every student eligible to take the bus. Now, funding will only be given for the actual number of students riding. Nicolaides said the province has increased funding for bus transportation by $167 million, or 52.5 per cent, since 2022. It comes as the province also changed the eligibility for bus subsidies. The province will only help pay for riders living more than 1.6 kilometres away — previously it was one kilometre. But there will be over $15 million available in transition funding to help parents and school boards make the transition next school year, the statement said. Robertson said the division has work to do to figure out what these changes mean alongside increasing costs of transportation and growing ridership. He said there may be a future board discussion about increasing bus fees.
