THE TOPIC OF banning cellphones is back in the news. Jurisdictions across North America are tackling the possibility. I’ve seen news stories all fall about schools and school districts banning or considering banning the use of cellphones by students during the school day.

In my own country, the Canadian province of Ontario has made news with its province-wide legislation banning the use of cellphones in classrooms, effective last month. In this case, the ban is not really a ban. According to coverage by the Canadian Broadcasting Company: “The directive says students can only use personal mobile devices during instructional time if it is for educational purposes, for health or medical purposes or for special needs.”

That is pretty much how things are in all the classrooms I see in my district, and to the best of my understanding, these rules serve as the general guidelines in schools across the continent. Technology is intended for learning, and procedures are put in place to help promote this.

And while headlines about banning cellphones fire up people who hold views on either extreme, the reality I am seeing in schools is that teachers and schools have put reasonable guidelines in place and worked on building a culture with students that makes cellphones a part of school as needed. Saying “ban cellphones” in schools is one of those things that scores easy political points, but like “mandating proper dress” or “making attendance mandatory” or any other stance marked by a catchphrase, it actually is quite silly. Schooling, like the rest of our world, is far greyer.

A Poor Influence
So given this stance, why do I think it is time now for a ban of cellphones in schools?

I’m actually not talking about students. I believe they have it figured out. Rather, I have been wondering about a parent ban of devices in schools. Amusingly, one of the most common reasons parents give me for banning student cellphone use is “my kid texts me in the middle of the day when they should be learning.” I always think, well, why do you text them back? Or why did you text them in the first place?

We have a generation of parents who lack presence when they are at school. I see this at back-to-school or parent nights, with parents scrolling their social media as the principal delivers a presentation and at parent-teacher conferences when they are texting to organize something later in their day.

I see it readily at school sporting events and student musical and theater productions. Look up in the stands at any school basketball game and you will see parents plastered to their screens, maybe looking up when their child is on the floor. At school productions they are using these phones and other hand-held gizmos to stand up at the front to record the event, often blocking the audience’s view.

Learning From Kids
Imagine if schools were a cellphone-free zone for parents. I believe parents could learn a lot from their children regarding technology use. They also could learn a lot from their children about when not to use technology.

With tongue firmly in cheek, let me admit I don’t really want to ban parents from their hand-held devices, but I do want all of us with children in schools, who so rarely get to visit these schools, to better treat this time as a gift and to be a bit more present when we do.


CHRIS KENNEDY is superintendent of the West Vancouver School District in West Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. This column is adapted from his blog Culture of Yes. Twitter: @chrkennedy