By Ruby Pratka
Local Journalism Initiative
Eastern Townships School Board chairperson Michael Murray has criticized Education Minister Bernard Drainville’s blanket ban on mobile phones in classrooms after hundreds of students were left without a way to directly contact their parents during an evacuation on Feb. 27.
That afternoon, students at Massey-Vanier High School in Cowansville were evacuated during classes after the school received a threatening phone call. Sûreté du Québec (SQ) officers were called, and conducted a thorough search of the building, which is jointly administered by the ETSB and the French-language Centre de services scolaire Val-des-Cerfs. As of this writing, the SQ has determined that “there was no threat in the building,” but the source of the call is still being investigated, according to SQ spokesperson Sgt. Valérie Beauchamp.
“We had a situation at Massey-Vanier and immediately, the social media buzz lit up,” Murray told the BCN. “Parents got messages from their friends saying, ‘What’s this I hear about a bomb threat at the school?’ In the meantime, the police evacuate the school and the students’ cell phones are in their lockers. Parents are trying to message their kids on social media and the kids can’t answer. That just generates additional panic. It really shows the folly of a blanket ban.”
In October 2023, Education Minister Bernard Drainville issued a directive banning mobile phones in daycare centres and elementary school, high school and vocational training centre classrooms, except for situations where phones are required for pedagogical reasons, to provide support for a student with disabilities or because of a student’s state of health. At the time, Drainville argued that the phone ban, which he first proposed in August 2023, “aims to create a climate more conducive to teaching and learning in order to promote the academic success of students.” The specifics of the ban’s enforcement were left to school boards, service centres and personnel. The ban took effect in January 2024.
“At some schools, students are told to leave their phones in their lockers. Some teachers have boxes at the back door of their classroom that you put your phone into. Some schools are allowing students to use them at recess and at others it is discouraged altogether,” Murray said. Students had no opportunity to go get their phones before the school was evacuated. “We had to respect the evacuation order – you stop what you’re doing and you go outside.”
Murray said the board intended to “bring the issue to the minister’s attention when the opportunity arises.” He added that the board has “larger issues to work on, trying to recover from the strike and coping with various other challenges.”
No one from the Ministry of Education was available to comment at press time.