THUNDER BAY – Students and parents are being reminded of strict new rules regarding mobile device use in school as classes resume in less than two weeks.

The Ford government announced changes to the use of cell phones and other devices in classrooms earlier this year, limiting them to educational purposes (under the direction of a teacher), health and medical purposes, and to assist children with special needs.

The province has issued guidelines specifically aimed at students, and violations of these guidelines result in consequences.

The change was announced last April and Ontario Premier Doug Ford said at the time he had a simple message for students.

“Teachers want kids to pay attention, it’s that simple,” Ford said. “It’s not that complicated: Don’t use the phones.”

In elementary schools, for students in kindergarten through 6th grade, personal mobile devices – defined as any device that can be used for communication or internet access – must be kept out of sight and turned off or on silent throughout the school day.

Individual schools determine how phones and other devices are stored, for example in lockers, backpacks, or on students’ own. Students also have the option of storing them securely, for example in a locker or class locker.

If a teacher at an elementary school finds that a device is not being stored out of sight, the teacher must hand over the device for the remainder of the school day and have the student place it in a storage area or location designated by the school principal.

Similar rules apply to students from grade 7 onwards, but only during class time and the devices are returned at the end of the current lesson.

At the time of the announcement, a representative of the local teachers union expressed concerns about enforcement.

“I think it’s going to be a big challenge for teachers and school administrators to deal with this. I think students are definitely addicted to their phones and they like having them,” Dave Paddington, president of the local chapter of the Elementary Teachers Federation of Ontario, said April 30.

“It’s really a big part of their social world and I think that’s going to be one of the biggest challenges that staff and schools are going to face.”

Schools are asked to develop and communicate a plan to deal with student violations and the resulting consequences.

A student who refuses to surrender his or her personal mobile device will be sent to the principal’s office. The principal will then determine consequences, which may include suspension.