Quebec to ban cellphones in elementary and high school classrooms

It's the final bell for cellphones in Quebec classrooms as the province's Education Department plans to ban their use in most teaching settings.

Education Minister Bernard Drainville is scheduled to make the announcement this morning.

The directive would only apply to public elementary and high schools and would still allow teachers to use mobile phones for lessons.

A spring survey of 7,000 teachers conducted by a federation of 34 teacher unions found that 92 per cent of respondents were in favour of such a measure.

Federation president Josée Scalabrini said at the time that teachers wanted to reduce distractions in the classroom and were increasingly concerned about being filmed without their knowledge.

Drainville has previously indicated that he was open to considering a general ban.