Are we living in a society that relies on connectivity to the extent that students should be allowed to use cellphones in school?
That question was being debated by the Toronto District School Board Wednesday night, after student trustees proposed ending the board's ban on cellphone use.
A rule established in 2007 states that absolutely no cellphones are allowed to be used inside schools. If mobile phones are taken inside a school, they have to be off and in the students' lockers.
Zane Schwartz, a student trustee, said he believed the current policy fails to acknowledge that youth are living in an increasingly interconnected society.
Schwartz says the policy does not reflect the reality of 2011, when every student has a cellphone and there are practical and educational reasons to keep then on hand.
The student trustee said it should be up to individual teachers to establish cellphone policies inside their classrooms. But there is no reason why the devices shouldn't be allowed in hallways and at lunchtime.
Many in the committee, including Chris Spence, the TDSB's director of education, backed the decision to vote on the issue.
He said that if cellphones can be used to leverage learning in schools, the board should consider it.
The board is expected to vote on the proposal Wednesday night.
With a report from CTV Toronto's Natalie Johnson
