There are differing opinions among students, teachers and experts on whether banning cell phones in primary and secondary schools is the right measure. However, most question whether the government is enshrining something in law that is not actually a problem.

On Tuesday, the provincial government announced a ban on cell phone use during classes in all school classes from kindergarten to 12th grade, starting next school year – an attempt to nip the competition for students’ attention in the bud.

The majority of Canadian provinces have announced guidelines for the coming year for some or all grade levels.

In a video statement posted on Facebook, Education Minister Jeremy Cockrill announced the measure, saying: “Parents, teachers and students have told us loud and clear that mobile phones in classrooms are distracting our children from learning and making it harder for our educators to teach.”

He says there are limited exceptions that allow some students to use cell phones in class, including for medical reasons.

Joanne Feeley, a 29-year teacher from Assiniboia, Saskatchewan, about 135 kilometres southwest of Regina, first learned about the change when she saw Cockrill’s announcement video.

Feeley says she is curious why Cockrill is seeking the ban despite other, more pressing concerns.

“I was just wondering why he hasn’t heard loudly and clearly from parents, teachers and students, particularly over the last two years, about the importance of staffing needs in our school buildings,” she told CBC on Thursday.

“It felt like it might be a little inappropriate.”

Feeley is not against the ban — and already has her own policies in place in her classroom to limit phone distractions — but she notes that the themes of class composition and complexity echoed by teachers on picket lines during stalled collective bargaining between the province and the teachers’ union have not reached Cockrill’s ears.

Experts comment on the ban on mobile phone use

When Marc Spooner, a professor of education at the University of Regina, first heard of the announcement, he saw the measure as a way to avoid significant change while appearing to support teachers after having “demonized” them during negotiations.

These talks ended in a stalemate and both parties agreed to binding arbitration. The arbitration hearing is scheduled for December 16-20 in Saskatoon.

Spooner does not believe there will be any noticeable changes in the classroom, as many teachers and school authorities have already implemented policies on cell phone use.

He does not agree with politicians outside of schools making changes to what happens in classrooms.

Kyle Robinson, an assistant professor of inclusive education at the University of Rhode Island, says students need to learn to live in the real world and study practical subjects. Taking away a common potential distraction now won’t help them deal with it in the future, he says.

He also believes cell phones are a useful tool for students, especially those who can find a text-to-speech app so the school doesn’t have to buy additional technology or equipment.

“Do we just make a rule that students with disabilities can have their own phone and no one else? Then it starts to get tricky,” he said.

Robinson believes there are other ways to limit distractions in the classroom and questions the extent of the consultation that went into this decision.

School authorities in Sask. do not see ban on cell phone use as a “high priority”

Education Minister Cockrill could not provide a number of people involved in the consultations, but said he had spoken to teachers and parents across Saskatchewan who had cited cellphone use as a concern.

He said the province consulted with the Saskatchewan School Boards Association (SSBA) in the spring.

SSBA President Jaimie Smith-Windsor said there had been no intensive consultation between the government and the association. She noted that school boards had reacted differently to the ban, but that it was not a “high priority” compared to issues such as funding or the development of programs such as full-day kindergarten.

The Saskatchewan Teachers’ Federation was not consulted before the change was announced, but according to its president, Samantha Becotte, it is not in favor of it.

Cockrill said he is aware that cell phone policies are already common practice in some schools and classrooms, but the new policy will provide a consistent approach, even as teachers work with school administrators to develop enforcement measures. He said the province will evaluate the effectiveness of the policy throughout the year and into the next school year.

“From the teachers I’ve heard directly from … it’s really hard to enforce a rule when another teacher down the hall or next door isn’t enforcing the same rule,” Cockrill said.

“Cell phones are distracting. I believe that cell phones have a massively negative impact on the mental health of our young people.”

Eva Tsaprailis, a 10th-grader from the village of Bjorkdale, Saskatchewan, said the ban has two sides. It’s good, she said, because some people use cell phones irresponsibly. And it’s also bad, because she listens to music to help her concentrate while working on homework.

Lyndsay Charko, a Grade 11 student from Carrot River, Sask., believes she is in the minority of students who support the ban because she has found people cheating with their phones. On the other hand, she believes cell phones are useful in emergencies or when people like her and Tsaprailis find solace in music.

Francis Aswit, a Grade 12 student at Riffel High School, said he disagrees with the cellphone ban but expects it to be helpful for some but ineffective for others.

Aswit said some students would likely give their teachers a second, so-called dummy phone and secretly continue to use their main device in class.