TVDSB hopes to avoid 'power struggle between teachers and students over technology'
CTV
The Thames Valley District School Board is still trying to get a handle on the upcoming classroom restrictions being implemented by the province of Ontario.
The Thames Valley District School Board (TVDSB) is still trying to get a handle on the upcoming classroom restrictions being implemented by the province of Ontario.
“We had a heads up on Friday that there was going to be an announcement on cellphones, but at the end of the day it’s going to be a work in progress,” said Mark Fisher, TVDSB director of Education. “We got the information [Sunday] and we want to launch it in September.”
Ontario Education Minister Stephen Lecce announced multiple changes to classrooms in the fall of 2024.
Those include banning vaping in schools, spending $30 million to install vape detectors, and other security upgrades in schools.
It also included banning social media on school networks, and both eliminating and limiting cellphone usage.
TVDSB currently has a policy that expects cellphone usage to be for educational purposes only, but unlike other school boards around the province, have never tried to implement a full ban.
The Ontario Secondary School Teachers Federation (OSSTF) has stated they are happy Lecce plans to support teachers who may be required to take a device away from students, but are worried they may have do more policing than teaching.
