Mobile Phone Policy
In 2018, the NSW Department of Education undertook a comprehensive study into the impact of the overuse of Mobile/Electronic devices amongst students. The review concluded that there are profound adverse impacts on students’ academic, social and emotional wellbeing when such devices are used for non-educational purposes during school hours. In response to this study, Byron Bay High School reviewed the school’s policy and in 2019 implement changes. This policy was again reviewed in Term 4, 2020. The result of this review has resulted in the following changes.
Stage 4 and Stage 5
- All Mobile/Electronic Devices (including earphones) must be switched off and out of sight before entering a classroom, assembly, or any learning space and are to remain that way unless the classroom teacher has given permission otherwise.
- Mobile phones must remain out of sight once a student enters the classroom. Phone calls must not be answered during class time. Failure to follow this rule will result in the student being required to take their phone/electronic device to the Deputy Principal where it will be confiscated for the remainder of the day. The incident will be recorded by the Teacher as a quick incident – breach of mobile phone policy- and the Deputy Principal will send an email home informing the parent/caregiver that there has been a breach of the Mobile Phone/Electronic Device Policy. A receipt will be issued to the student that they will show to their classroom teacher indicating that the DP has confiscated their phone.
- Once a student is recorded as having breached the Mobile Phone/Electronic Device Policy on 3 or more occasions, they will be placed on a DP Monitoring Card and will be required to hand in their phone each morning to their DP until the DP Monitoring Card has been completed.
- Refusal to hand a Mobile/Electronic Device over to the Deputy Principal will result in the student being placed on a DP Monitoring Card and will be required to hand in their phone each morning to their DP until the DP Monitoring Card has been completed.
Stage 6
- All Mobile/Electronic Devices (including earphones) must be switched off (removed) or on silent before entering a classroom, assembly, or any learning space and are to remain that way unless the classroom teacher has given permission otherwise.
- If a student uses Mobile/Electronic Devices contrary to teacher instruction, students will be directed to leave their Mobile/Electronic Devices in a tub/box on the teachers’ front desk which can then be collected at the end of the lesson. The teacher will record this as a negative incident. Persistent misuse will result in the student being placed on a Teacher Monitoring Card.
- Refusal to leave the Mobile/Electronic Device at the teachers’ front desk will result in the student being directed to the Deputy Principal where the Mobile/Electronic Devices will be confiscated and will not be returned to the student until the end of the day. If a teacher directs a student to the Deputy Principal, the classroom teacher will place the student on a Teacher Monitoring Card and supervise a detention.
- Refusal to hand a Mobile/Electronic Device over to the Deputy Principal will result in parental contact and a disciplinary consequence for continued disobedience will be applied.
- We appreciate that parents and guardians may need to contact their child throughout the day and we kindly ask that this communication be made through the front office on Ph: 66 858 188 who will promptly pass on all messages to students.
- At Byron Bay High School we are unreservedly committed to building safe and supportive learning environments which promote academic excellence, innovation, and an appreciation of diversity, and we trust that we have your full support in this initiative.
Yours in partnership
Byron Bay High School