Ontario schoolboards should keep an open mind when it comes to allowing cellphones in classrooms, Premier Dalton McGuinty said Wednesday.
"Telephones and BlackBerrys and the like are conduits for information today, and one of the things we want our students to do is to be well-informed," McGuinty told reporters. "And it's something that we should be looking at in our schools."
The Toronto District School Board, one of the largest schoolboards in the country, is considering a review of its cellphone policy which bans their use in the classroom and requires students turn them off during class.
The board is looking at ways to make cellphone use more acceptable in the classroom, such as letting students use them to take notes, according to spokesperson Kelly Baker.
The premier’s comments have been heavily criticized by opposition leaders, especially in light of his government’s recent legislation banning drivers from using cellphones and other hand-held devices behind the wheel, and his own personal ban on the use of communications devices in his cabinet meetings.
McGuinty admits that while communications devices can be a distraction for adults and children alike, he says there is a “right way” to use them.
With files from CTV Toronto's Paul Bliss and Tom Hayes
