AIBU to ask for advice on how to overturn a school decision - quickly

If a school tried that here in the colonies they would be sued out of existence! They are starting the no phones in school here in the US! I think it’s a great idea! Kids don’t need them out during school hours! They are there to learn not scroll!!

It isn't a tiny number of schools that have it it is, or will be, the majority. Schools are busy updating their policies and tightening up to reflect Government guidance. You are forgetting the purpose of a school is to educate and in the process of educating they are required to keep children safe. Outside of the school day is your issue as a parent. That is why children in senior school are not allowed to leave school premises during the day on their own but can travel to and from school on their own.

So many on here are understanding the schools position but your focus is on the one poster who has advised you to create a poll, even though they are yet to actually get anywhere themselves.

OMG how did we ever survive in the 1980s before phones were invented? When we were much more likely to walk or take public transport to and from school.

And if this incident your DD was involved in was so serious you would’ve reported it to the police. You didn’t, so it sounds like a bit of exaggeration is going on…

Our school allow phones to be taken in for those that travel on the bus - all the kids hand them in to reception on a morning and then collect them at home time - it’s really not complicated. Suggest this to the stupid school

Former teacher here.

This is a gross overstep from the school. Inside school grounds, I wholeheartedly support the ban on (switched on) phones. They are disruptive, potentially harmful and completely unnecessary. Outside of the school grounds is outside of the school's sphere of influence and outside of their scope for control.

My young people have a 5/6 minute walk home but sometimes they want to hang out with friends before coming home or want to check if I mind that an extra 5+ (locusts) will drop in while I'm working. They need to communicate these things so everyone knows that they are safe.

They used to have a 40 minute bus journey. A phone was essential if they missed the bus or another issue cropped up.

I also would add that few staff want to be "that teacher" who is the one who takes phones outside of the school grounds. It wouldn't be worth the fallout.

(We moved area a while back so previous high school was a decent bus journey. New one is moments away)

If the situation was as bad as you say you should be reporting it to the police regardless. Lots of people have cameras these days and may have video evidence.

secondly I have friends in the teaching industry. Good teachers considering leaving the industry due to little arsehats using their mobiles in class and refuting to put them away. They show them around the classroom being disruptive to the remaining class who want to learn. Parents have been spoken to, however their attitude is as bad as their children’s.

Generally speaking, there is no need for access to mobile phones in the classroom. As far as outside of school grounds and school time, if students are being targeted by teachers, then that’s another conversation depending on the circumstances.

I’m sorry, I can tell this event upset you and no doubt your daughter too, but phones aren’t laser guns. If something horrible and dangerous happens the circumstances in which phone use will improve matters are few and far between. Too many young people treat them like a magical talisman, when they would be better served with a set of actions that would really keep them safe: run, scream, hit, or get help. These skills may need practice.
If it’s just the opportunity to talk over what a child has witnessed, they can wait until they meet mum or dad.

I understand where your coming from. My local school bus dropped us off at the bottom of a country road and it would be scary as hell to walk it in the dark after school during the winter months without being on the phone to someone. I used to ring my grandparents as my parents worked. And if we missed that bus at 4.30 there's not another I told 7pm. Luckily my children are still too young for phones but I received a letter from the department of education in northern Ireland saying they have made it clear to all schools that they should be mobile free environment. I wish the school could supply small lockers and the children could pick it up after school. Not everyone lives in a city where there is a bus every 15 minutes. Some buses no longer take cash so some use their phone to pay.

I remember calling my mum from a pay phone after a bully assaulted me so I didn't have to get the school bus home with the bully. I can't remember the last time I saw or used a payphone, mobiles have replaced them so kids need phones.

Our ghastly deputy head used to patrol the local area outside of school looking for girls not wearing thier blazers so I can well believe phone use is being checked outside school. Pity she wasn't as keen to stamp out bullying as she was about the bloody blazers but I digress.

I would get her a compact brick and tell her to put it in a little pouch bag under her san pro so it's less likely to be found during a search, strictly for emergency use only. I hope she is OK.

Silly comment @Soontobe60 The post highlights exactly why a phone is important to our safety. I wish I had one years ago when I was a teenager and a man followed me and made horrible sexual comments to me. I would have been able to call for help instead of having to walk home by myself.

First, I'm dubious about the "snatching" likelihood. If it's off the school grounds, that would be theft. Also, it doesn't mean they had it in school. In theory, they could have left it with a nearby neighbor.

But, more crucially, a rule cannot be by bypassed because of an individual situation. This reminds me of a situation with my mother, where she was (illegally) driving without wearing her seatbelt. By a fluke, not wearing the seatbelt saved her life. But that individual incident can't be used to make other exceptions. Presumably you know that society as a whole is concluding that mobiles are bad for children.

However, it occurs to me that you might want to consider some version of a panic button, the kind they give to elderly people who live alone. Maybe that would make you feel better.

My friends blood glucose monitor is linked to hey phone. She gets pinged when the levels are too low or high. Just one example of how a phone can keep you safe.

Agree. They are on the useful list, not the necessary list. OP has not said what happened and that the police should be involved but they have not done this, which makes no sense. We don't know if the incident was an indecent exposure, someone trying to grab DD (and a phone won't help with that one, unfortunately) or that someone's dog growled at her.

As to teachers chasing DC down the street and grabbing phones, OP's DD has misunderstood entirely. This is illegal for anyone to do.

i’m a teacher and just want to assure you that no see, no hear policies are useless. Imagine being in charge of 30 teenagers and you hear a phone. You can’t act on the offender as you won’t know who has the phone. It is distracting to other loaners, to hear phones pinging and buzzing, teachers can’t stop it. Students can’t / won’t keep them silent or forget to silence them. Some have downloaded remote controllers for class projectors and can use them to turn off the projector mid presentation. They just do this while appearing to get something out of their bag or pocket. Schools with strict phone policies have better learning outcomes. As allowing a phone is your priority, it seems that you have chosen the wrong school.

What a ridiculous thing to say! in the modern world it can be considered invaluable. Anyone with a teenage child would not agree we you situations arise where a phone is required.

Anyone who seriously thinks teachers will do this is batshit. What with meetings, ringing parents, marking, and training It's not as if any teachers are there to see your kid walk home! And even if by somebmiracle I did leave at that time I give no shits at all about your kid using a phone out of school. That's when it becomes a parent issue.

If your 11 year-old child has genuinely been involved in a terrifying incident report it to the Police and inform the Headteacher.

Teachers arent chasing kids after school. If its thay important surely you can ask to drop it at reception in the morning and DC can pick it up as they leave?

my child was involved in something bloody terrifying. I’ve been up half the night. It should involve the police, but we are not going down that road and time would have been of the essence anyway.

Ring the police. Report the incident.

Theyre not going to change their rules based on one parent disagreeing with it. I reckon even if others feel the same way as you, that a majority will be happy with what the school is doing. If they are very strict on stuff as youve said, why did you choose this school for your child?

If she likes the school then provide other SIM enabled tech such as a watch and a tablet. If she isn't bothered, move schools to a more reasonable one or consider home schooling. I am very grateful that all mine are over school age now as I completely disagree with banning phones for safety reasons.

Maybe her parents should ensure she isn't walking around secluded places by herself then?

You think any teacher has the time or energy to chase a kid down the street in order to confiscate a phone? 🤣

Clear overreach by the school, someone needs a quiet word with the head.

While schools have powers to confiscate property as a disciplinary measure, these are limited: these powers are not a general licence for staff to remove property from children in public places when they are no longer clearly under the school’s lawful control or charge.

I would be deeply concerned about the safeguarding and legal implications of any staff member being encouraged to do this and expect the school to clarify in writing exactly what authority it believes staff have to seize (or attempt to seize) a child’s phone off-site after school, before taking the whole matter to police.

There is a huge difference between removing a disruption to learning during the school day and attempting to control a child’s personal property after school, off school premises.

As for phones in school? Here, our school bus passes are virtual, the children need a smart phone for the school run. Phones are locked away or "not seen" during school hours, simple.

I used to take my phone into school (I'm 38 now), I had horrendous periods and was usually sent home every month by the school nurse but sometimes I'd get a teacher that was like 'it's just a period'. My Mum let me take the phone in- I didn't text on it while in school and I was a prolific texter! I used it for letting my Mum know when this occurred. Back then I could wear it in a holder around my neck, with the phone slipped in between my breasts- no teacher is going in there to fish it out! Sometimes a child needs access to a phone to contact a parent.

I don't know how to help in your situation, I just wanted to express that I understand the requirement.