School policies that affect students using mobile phones

School policies are now being created for the use of mobile phones while protecting students and maintaining a solid educational environment. For an example of how one school deals with mobile phone use at and around school, check out the mobile phone acceptable-use policy at Ivanhoe Grammar School in Victoria, Australia: www.igs.vic.edu.au/discover/ policies/mobile_ phones.htm.

If you’re a parent who has kids in school and they have mobile phones, find out the school’s policy for mobile phone use. If no mobile phone policies exist, work with the school’s administration to get them established. Here are some questions to ask:

- Under which circumstances can mobile phones be used on school property?

- Who decides when and where students can use their mobile phones on school property?

- In which circumstances can a mobile phone be switched on during classroom lessons?

- In case of emergency, how can students be contacted? Should parents call directly, for example, or should emergency calls be directed to the school office?

- When can students make a phone call to their parents in case of emergency?

- What are the guidelines for confiscating a mobile phone?

- Should students label their mobile phones with their name so that they can be returned if lost, or should the phones be registered before being brought on school property?

- What is the school’s responsibility for the mobile phone while it’s on school property?

- What are the sanctions if a student uses a mobile phone during an exam or assessment?

- Which sanctions are in place if a student is caught cyberbullying by using a mobile phone on school property?

- Who is responsible if a student is in any way harmed or harassed or is in any other way offended from the use of a mobile phone by other students on school property?