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Canadian schools are experimenting with cellphone bans, but some parents say the devices are lifelines

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Last month, an Ontario high school teacher wrote an anonymous open letter decrying student-on-teacher violence. Outlining specific actions that the educator wanted the school board to take, one bullet point stood out: a complete ban on cellphones.

It’s a tall order, but it’s one that some schools across Canada are asking from their teen students in order to reduce bad behaviour, remove distractions and improve quality of life in the classroom.

Cellphones have a large impact on students’ mental health, says Sachin Maharaj, an assistant professor of educational leadership, policy and program evaluation at the University of Ottawa.

Schools aren’t just teaching content, Maharaj told CBC News, they’re also teaching “habits of mind,” including the ability to think deeply, focus for long periods of time and listen attentively and empathetically to others.

“I think that when students face this constant distraction from their phones, it reduces their ability to do those types of things,” he said.

A sign asking students to put away their cellphone is seen at McGee Secondary school in Vancouver, B.C., in 2014. Some teachers have tried to include cellphones in their teaching, while others seem them as a distraction for students. (Jonathan Hayward/The Canadian Press)

Some schools see success with phone ban

From St. Thomas High School in Montreal, to Elk Island Public Schools in Sherwood Park, Alta., school administrators are implementing cellphone bans that require students to lock up their phones at the beginning of the day or keep them turned off during lessons.

Educators who are against a ban say phones can be included in teaching, but at least one school that tried that ended up banning the devices when those plans fell apart.

Other say phones are an important link between school and home — especially for students at risk of violence.

Ontario is the only province in Canada with an active ban on cellphones in the classroom. A similar proposal in Quebec was shot down last month, while others in Nova Scotia and B.C. met the same fate.

But a smattering of individual Canadian schools and school districts have taken it upon themselves to ban students from using their phones. Chatelech Secondary School on B.C.’s Sunshine Coast banned cellphones six months ago, and the outcome was remarkable, according to school counsellor Tulani Pierce.

“We are seeing improved mental health, we’re seeing decreased bullying, we’re seeing more engagement in class, we’re seeing more social interaction,” said Pierce in an interview last month.

“Kids are playing again instead of being on their phones and we’re seeing increased academic success.”

Tony Djukic told CBC News that his daughter Karen’s cellphone was a lifeline during a school year when she was being bullied. (Craig Chivers/CBC)

Phone a ‘lifeline’ during bullying

Not everyone agrees that banning cellphones would be helpful to students, let alone enforceable.

Tony Djukic, a Brampton, Ont., parent, told CBC News that his daughter, Karen, used her cellphone to communicate with him when other kids began targeting her at her former school. She was a new student at the time, and he said the administration’s efforts to contain the bullying fell short.

According to Djukic, Karen’s phone was a saving grace throughout a year of constant torment. It was both a faster path to physical safety and a tool for emotional support — she had the vice-principal’s permission to FaceTime her dad on bad days.

“There was very little that they could do to protect her, and having access to her cellphone was a sort of lifeline because she was able to message myself or mom, and we could then attend the school and extract her from situations where she felt unsafe,” Djukic said.

“Without her phone, she would have spent quite a few days in school frightened and worried without really being able to turn to anyone.”

 

Q&A | How to fight for safer schools

What can parents do to address violence in our schools? And what can students do if they’re being targeted or they see it happening to someone else? Marketplace’s David Common, CBC data journalist Valérie Ouellet and youth advocate Karyn Kennedy answered your questions.

While Ontario’s cellphone ban has been active since November 2019 — with an exception for devices used for learning purposes — Karen Djukic told CBC News that as far as she can tell, the ban is actually rarely enforced.

“Everyone who has a cellphone brings it and uses it whenever they want in class,” she said.

“Some teachers do have a bin where they can take the phones for the period and then give it back when we’re going to a new class,” but she said that if a student wants to request their phone to call their parents, the teacher will usually let them.

Her father questioned how school staff would be able to regulate the use of cellphones in class in addition to their other responsibilities.

“If they’re unable to enforce students not assaulting each other, students not being aggressive or disrespectful or even going as far as assaulting teachers … how are they going to enforce not having phones?”

Bans need to be comprehensive, expert says

Katie Yu, a 17-year-old student in Iqaluit, said cellphones are important for safety reasons — but they also have practical uses within the classroom that make them a necessary tool during the school day.

She uses her own for research, note taking and planning extracurriculars, but for the most part keeps it locked away during class. It should be up to students to regulate their own phone use, she said.

“Phones are inevitably a part of our daily lives,” she told CBC News. “So I think it’s best to just make the most of them and try to be responsible while using them in school.”

According to Maharaj, with the University of Ottawa, the mere presence of a phone in the classroom can be distracting for students wondering what they’re missing by not being on their device. Bans are especially tricky to enforce when adults are similarly dependent on their phones, he said.

Sachin Maharaj, an assistant professor at the University of Ottawa, is in favour of banning cellphones in the classroom. He says the devices distract students from ‘habits of mind,’ like the ability to focus or listen empathetically. (Christian Patry/CBC)

That’s why a successful ban would have to be all-encompassing — one that applies that the entire school with an established set of rules that don’t differ between classrooms, he said.

While some students might be disciplined about not using phones while a teacher is speaking, Maharaj says students must also learn how to deal with lulls in their day without whipping out their phones to check social media or to play a game.

“A lot of creative thoughts come when we might think we’re bored or not actively engaged,” he said.

“As a society, we need to be able to carve out at least some space where teens can exist sort of free from all of that distraction, and I think schools should be one of those places.”

Connor Merson-Davies, a 15-year-old Saskatoon student, told CBC News that he uses his phone frequently during class. Sometimes, he says he’ll pull out his phone and before he knows it, an entire period has gone by. He said that he’d be in favour of a cellphone ban.

The Grade 10 student said his health science teacher built a wooden bin for students to drop their phones in for the duration of class. He observed more engagement and focus throughout the lesson from himself and his classmates.

“I know my teachers get quite irritated and just feel really disrespected [when] people’s phones are out and we’re … not concentrating and actually listening to what they’re saying.”

 

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Brian White scores second-half goal, earns Whitecaps 1-1 draw with Dynamo

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HOUSTON (AP) — Brian White scored in the second half to rally the Vancouver Whitecaps to a 1-1 draw with the Houston Dynamo on Wednesday night.

Houston (12-9-8) took a 1-0 lead into halftime after Ezequiel Ponce scored on a penalty kick in the seventh minute of stoppage time. Ponce’s third goal this season came after Amine Bassi drew a foul on Whitecaps midfielder Pedro Vite following a video review. It was Ponce’s sixth career appearance, all starts.

Vancouver (13-8-7) scored the equalizer in the 73rd minute when White, who entered in the 60th, used assists from Fafá Picault and Ryan Gauld to find the net for the 13th time this season. Picault’s assist was his fifth, matching his career high for a single season. Gauld’s assist gives him a career-best 13 on the season.

Yohei Takaoka, who had clean sheets in his last three starts, finished with one save in goal for the Whitecaps.

Steve Clark saved three shots for the Dynamo, who remain one point behind Vancouver in the Western Conference standings.

Houston, which was coming off a 4-1 victory over Real Salt Lake, has allowed just 33 goals this season.

Vancouver — 6-2-2 in its last 10 matches overall — leads the all-time series 10-9-6.

The Whitecaps remain on the road to play the Los Angeles Galaxy on Saturday. The Dynamo travel to play Austin FC on Saturday.

___

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First career goals by Tom Pearce, Nathan Saliba rally Montreal to 2-2 draw with Revolution

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FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — Tom Pearce and Nathan Saliba scored in the second half — the first goals of their careers — and CF Montreal rallied for a 2-2 draw with the New England Revolution on Wednesday night.

“In the second half, the guys came out a little more ambitious and above all, more connected,” Montreal head coach Laurent Courtois said. “It was a great second half of resilience and fighting spirit. Nathan and Sam were impressive.

“Impressive in covering the gaps and compensating for the teammates, and the individual defending – yes it’s true, it is a lot of weight on their shoulders, but that’s the job.”

New England (8-16-4) jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the 24th minute on Bobby Wood’s third goal of the season. Teenage defender Peyton Miller notched his first assist in his fourth career start and sixth appearance and Carles Gil picked up his ninth of the season. Peyton, at 16 years, 315 days old, is the eighth youngest player in league history to record his first assist.

The Revolution took a two-goal lead in the 35th minute and held it through halftime when 19-year-old Esmir Bajraktarevic took a pass from Gil and scored his third goal of the season and career in his first full season in the league. It was the 73rd regular-season assist in Gil’s career, tying him with Steve Ralston for the most in club history.

Montreal (7-12-10) pulled within a goal in the 54th minute when Pearce scored off a free kick after defender George Campbell drew a foul on New England’s Mark-Anthony Kaye. It was the first goal for Pearce in his third career start and fourth appearance.

“Playoffs are the goal. Maybe it wasn’t in the best form, but in the end, we are picking up a point,” Pearce said. “We came into this game confident, ready to play our own game. Everyone tries their best, whenever the players are called on, we are always ready, and we are always giving it our best.”

Montreal scored the equalizer in the 68th minute on the first career goal by Saliba, a 20-year-old midfielder. Saliba has made 34 starts and 48 appearances with Montreal in his two seasons in the league. Campbell snagged his second assist of the season and the third of his career.

“It’s an incredible feeling, it’s a goal I’ve been waiting for a long time. I’m extremely happy that I was able to score it and that it can help the team take this important point on the road,” Saliba said. “Pearce’s first goal gave us really good momentum and we kept up the pressure to go for a second goal. We got more solid defensively, and we came back ready after halftime, to push for these 3 points.”

Aljaz Ivacic finished with four saves in goal for the Revolution.

Jonathan Sirois stopped four shots for Montreal.

New England beat Montreal 5-0 on the road on Aug. 24.

New England leads the all-time series 16-13-4. Montreal improves to 5-8-2 on the road against the Revs.

The Revolution travel to take on Charlotte FC on Saturday. Montreal returns home to host the Chicago Fire on Saturday.

___

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Adolis García’s home run backs Cody Bradford as Rangers beat Blue Jays 2-0

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ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Adolis García hit a two-run home run in the sixth inning, Cody Bradford pitched seven strong innings after the worst start of his career, and the Texas Rangers beat the Toronto Blue Jays 2-0 on Wednesday night.

The win kept the defending World Series-champion Rangers alive in the AL West race, trailing first-place Houston by 10 games with 10 to play.

García launched an inside sinker over the left-field wall off Toronto starter Bowden Francis (8-5) after Wyatt Langford singled.

“He swings hard, he swings a lot,” Francis said of García. “I guess the velo was dropping during that time.”

Bradford (6-3) allowed five hits and no walks while striking out six.

The seven shutout innings are the most in a game during his two-year career. He was knocked out of his previous start after allowing career highs in hits (nine), runs (eight) and homers (three) in 3 2/3 innings in a 14-4 loss at Arizona.

“Throughout the week, you’ve got to try and digest what happened, see where I can make adjustments, whether it was just game plan went wrong or just poor execution, or a little bit of both,” Bradford said. “Then you flush it.”

Bradford was perfect through four innings before Alejandro Kirk opened the fifth with a smash back to the mound that caromed off Bradford’s left foot and rolled into right field for a single. It extended Kirk’s hitting streak to a career-high 12 games.

Spencer Horwitz’s double to left-center put runners on second and third with no outs before Bradford retired the next three batters.

Blue Jays manager John Schneider credited Bradford’s “deceptive fastball.”

“When you’re throwing 89, 92, you’ve got to have pretty good deception with that at this level,” Schneider said. “Kept us off balance.”

Kirby Yates pitched a perfect ninth inning for his 31st save in 32 opportunities.

Francis, who took no-hitters into the ninth inning in two of his previous four starts, allowed a double to Marcus Semien, the Rangers’ first hitter of the game. He gave up five hits and one walk in six innings.

Francis has a 1.96 ERA in nine starts with 54 strikeouts and seven walks since being moved back into the starting rotation in late July.

“I don’t even want to get complacent, on cruise control,” Francis said. “Just keep attacking.”

TRAINER’S ROOM

Blue Jays: SS Bo Bichette was a late scratch with a right middle finger contusion suffered during infield practice. Schneider said the team will get back x-rays on Thursday. Bichette was activated Tuesday following a calf injury and played for the first time in two months, going 2 for 5 with one RBI at the plate. … INF Will Wagner (left knee inflammation) will have the knee scoped on Thursday. Schneider said Wagner should be ready to start spring training. Wagner, son of former major leaguer Billy Wagner, was acquired from Houston at the trade deadline.

UP NEXT

Rangers rookie RHP Kumar Rocker (0-0, 2.25 ERA) will make his home debut against Blue Jays RHP Kevin Gausman (12-11, 4.02) in the series finale. Rocker allowed one run in four innings at Seattle last Thursday in his major league debut.

___

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