Ontario Students Going Back-to-Basics with Fewer Distractions This Fall

Province limiting cellphone use in class, banning vaping and rolling out more modernized curriculum

August 29, 2024
Ministry of Education

CALEDON — The Ontario government is investing $47.5 million to support safe and healthy learning, along with implementing the most comprehensive plan in Canada to restrict student use of cellphones and ban vaping in schools. By removing distractions, students can focus their attention on academic achievement, which will include modernized courses in business and career studies, and technological education.

“With their constant stream of notifications and pings, it’s no surprise to anyone that cellphones constantly grab our attention. This is why it was necessary to restrict cellphones in the classroom and enable students to restore focus on learning so they can achieve better academic outcomes,” said Jill Dunlop, Minister of Education. “This school year is shaping up to be the first in years without the threat of pandemic disruptions or negotiations with teachers’ unions. We’re excited for the year ahead where students can look forward to uninterrupted learning, extra-curriculars and a back-to-basics, modernized curriculum that will set them up for success.”

The new provincewide measures are taking effect on September 1, 2024 to directly counter the alarming rise of vaping and cellphone distractions in schools. The new rules will help combat the negative impact mobile devices, social media and vaping are having on academic achievement, mental health and physical well-being.

The government is investing $47.5 million to support the implementation of the new rules, including:

• $15 million to support the expansion of programs that offer direct supports for students who are at risk of substance use and addictive behaviours
• $1 million to School Mental Health Ontario to develop webinars and resources for parents and students to learn how to talk about the adverse effects of vaping and excessive cellphone usage
• $1.5 million for school boards to work with their parent involvement committees to enable parents and community partners to run grassroots campaigns to deter vaping and cellphone distractions
• Further, as announced in Budget 2024, $30 million to school boards for vape detectors and other security upgrades in schools

“By banning vaping in schools, our government is setting students up for success and prioritizing their health and well-being inside and outside the classroom,” said Sylvia Jones, Deputy Premier, Minister of Health and MPP for Dufferin-Caledon. “We are also reminding parents to keep their kids up to date on all routine vaccinations this school year to ensure our schools and communities remain safe for everyone.”

Beginning this fall, there will be a new graduation requirement and several new courses for Grade 9 and 10 students as the government continues to modernize the curriculum:

• Grade 9 students will be required to earn a Grade 9 or 10 Technological Education credit as part of their Ontario Secondary School Diploma. These courses will allow students to explore and apply fundamental technological concepts as well as the engineering design process.
• Two experiential courses in Business Studies for students in Grades 9 and 10 will help students to develop an entrepreneurial mindset, learn the importance of taking initiative, find creative solutions to issues as well as learn how to start and run a business.
• For Grade 10 students, mandatory learning on mental health literacy has been expanded in the Career Studies course. Students will learn how to recognize the signs of being overwhelmed as well as where to find help locally when needed.

The government has also made a historic $16 billion investment to support school construction, renewal and improvement over 10 years. Since 2018, the Ontario government has invested more than $3.6 billion in capital construction projects in education, including 139 new schools, 109 additions and renovations to existing facilities, creating more than 98,000 student spaces and over 8,000 new licensed child care spaces.

Quick Facts

• In April 2024, Ontario revised the provincial Code of Conduct to update the rules on the use of personal mobile devices and vaping and tobacco products in schools. These tough new measures are designed to remove distractions, improve student outcomes and promote healthy decision-making among students.
• In addition to explicitly banning e-cigarettes in schools and school-related settings, Ontario is responding to the popularity of vaping among students by strengthening existing mandatory learning on cannabis and vaping and digital citizenship, with an emphasis on the elementary curriculum.
• To increase awareness among Ontario parents about new cellphone and vaping rules in classrooms impacting their children this fall, the government has launched an advertising campaign. Visit Ontario.ca/SchoolRules for more information.
• The Better Schools and Student Outcomes Act, 2023, which received Royal Assent in June 2023, ensures the province’s public education system focuses on what matters most: important life-long skills, like reading, writing and math.