School mulls phone ban
■ Classroom policies vary ■ Mobile devices used as teaching aids
A Southland principal says he would ban students from having cellphones at the school if he had community support.
Riverton’s Aparima College principal Cameron Davis said the school had asked the community for feedback on use of cellphones at school as phones were ‘‘getting in the way of learning more than anything else’’.
‘‘I would ban them if I knew we had community support,’’ Davis said.
However, based on the feedback the school had received so far, the support wasn’t there.
Students could take their cellphones to the school but its policy was that they were not devices for learning.
If they were used in the classroom and disrupted learning they would be confiscated – but it was at the discretion of each teacher if they allowed cellphone use in class.
If phones were used appropriately by students they could assist in many ways, Davis said.
‘‘Unfortunately, in schools I just think they are getting in the way given the nature of how young people use them.’’
A school’s board of trustees was responsible for determining the requirements the school placed on students and management, including the cellphone policy and how it was enforced.
Ministry of Education spokeswoman Katrina Casey said boards of trustees were encouraged to reflect the views of the wider school community by following genuine consultation with parents and students.
Davis was one of seven Southland secondary school principals who responded to questions last week on what their cellphone policies were for students.
All seven schools allowed students to take cellphones to school but their policies varied when it came to the classroom.
Southland Boys’ High School rector Simon Coe said its policy, implemented in term three, was that students were not able to use their cellphones in class unless at the discretion of the teacher.
Students must enter the class with the phone turned off and stored in a bag, or they could put the phone in a storage container for the duration of the lesson.
The school’s change in policy had been well received, he said. ‘‘Teaching staff and deaning staff have remarked on the reduced amount of time spent dealing with unnecessary phone usage during class time this term.’’
Fiordland College principal Lynlee Smith also said its children were not allowed to use their phones during class time unless directed to do so by teachers.
Verdon College principal Jarlath Kelly said its students’ use of cellphones was part of the school’s ‘‘bring your own device’’ policy to support learning.
Many students used phones as their primary IT devices, he said.
Verdon College staff ran classrooms in a variety of ways.
‘‘In the context of some learning activities there will be times [when] use of devices will be appropriate,’’ Kelly said.
Phones and technology in schools had their challenges and teachers and management were always reviewing the use of technology to support learning in the classroom, he said.
An important partner in the discussions were the parents who generally provided the phones to the students.
Southland Girls’ High School principal Yvonne Browning said its students were not allowed to use their phones in class unless for learning. Any other usage was only with teacher permission.
Gore High School rector John McKinlay said students were expected to have their cellphones off, or on silent, during class time.
Many teachers collected the phones at the start of the lesson, but he said phones were useful for some classwork and teachers made the final call.
‘‘We do not believe banning cellphones is the answer. We believe there are situations in class where it is completely valid to use a cellphone.’’
Waiau Area School had different rules regarding cellphones for different age groups.
Most of the seven schools said their students were able to use their phones during lunchtime and intervals.
‘‘I would ban them if I knew we had community support.’’
Cameron Davis Aparima College principal