TVDSB reacts to Lecce’s cellphone ban [Video]

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 …