To think it is ridiculous that the school have confiscated MY phone????

[Slipperyslopin]

DS (14) was going out last night with a friend to see a movie after school. He didn't know when it ended and then we couldn't find it on the website so I told him to take his phone so he could call me afterwards and I could collect him. He told me his phone wasn't charged, so I gave him my one. He is very trustworthy and careful and I knew he wouldn't lose it, besides I'm not on call at the moment so I wouldn't need it during the day, and I'd rather he had a way to contact me if needed. During school the phone turned on in his pocket (Iphones ) and an alert went off for an update or something. His teacher heard it and confiscated the phone as they are not allowed in school, even if off. DS then had to call me from the office to say he would use his friends phone instead. All fine, fair enough I thought. However I then found out that the school policy is to keep the phone for a fortnight. I have unpredictable shift patterns and I actually do need that phone back, it has important work contacts on and is the number I am generally contacted on by whole family as we don't have a landline atm. So I went in and explained the situation and they REFUSED to return it! They've said they're keeping it for the full 2 weeks. I told them, it's a work phone, it has confidential stuff on it, it has all my work contacts and is an emergency number for DH on his passport, and as he is in France at the moment I needed that phone back. They just kept repeating that it is policy and they can't return it, I even had the head teacher tell me this! Surely it's against the law! I need that phone and they WILL NOT return it to me! What should I do? Can I get some form of legal action done here? This feels a hell of a lot like theft to me. I'm so beyond angry at them, any advice?

TheChimpParadox

How are the kids going to do this when the parents can't even organise picking them up from school?

Or ground them because they haven't picked their phone up in the morning.

The majority of bullying that I deal with in school is from BBM or facebook both accessible from smart phones. How can teachers successfully deal with that when parents are effectively encouraging it?

Most people do have mobile phones its a way of life. If my children didn't take their phones in they would be in the minority. I realise its a pain for teachers but you are never going to stop it. Bet the teachers all have mobiles. My two have never had their phones took of them. So cannot have used them in lessons my dd has been badly bullied on fb but that was at home not school time.

Bet the teachers all have mobiles.

Why is this even part of the discussion?
I also have a car
a motorbike
a surf board
and a long board
does this give your child an automatic right to have them as well?

All this stuff about whether it's the OP's fault for lending her phone to her DS blah blah blah is neither here nor there. It's her phone, she needs it for work, the school have no right to confiscate it. End of.

Except they apparently do have a right.

"It's her phone, she needs it for work, the school have no right to confiscate it. End of."

Oh I forgot that saying 'End of' means the argument is won...

If it is so important then she should not have lent it to her irresponsible son.

The OP deliberately encouraged him to break a clear school rule and then moaned when a school policy was followed. I have no sympathy whatsoever. However, I do think the Deputy Head was sensible to allow the exchange, though he was under no obligation to do so.

Those moaning about bossy schools and school 'stealing' their precious children's phones are obviously completely ignorant of the realities of the classroom and the time that is wasted if policies are not strict and fully enforced. 2 weeks does seem a little excessive though.

Glad the op got her phone back quite rightly so. I meant to say teachers probably do not leave their phones at home. They have them at school.

So fucking what?

"I meant to say teachers probably do not leave their phones at home. They have them at school."

Yes because teachers are adults. They also don't wear uniform and don't get detentions. They are not the same as pupils at the school.

Does that really need explaining?

I have my phone at school. It's in my handbag in my office. If I had to leave it at home or in the car or whatever, that would be fine, on account of the fact that I don't NEED it during the working day. I would consider it highly unprofessional, inappropriate and hypocritical to have my phone in the classroom with me.

End of (I win, yes?)

Surely the op just needed to hand over her Son's phone in order to get her own back? What a fuss about nothing.

Most teachers don't have an office though, Eviltwins, in the classroom in your bag is usually safest!

I disagree that most don't... Not that it's relevant really. The point is that most teachers would think it unprofessional to have a phone out, or to check it or use it during lesson times.

A lot of kids and parents seem to think it's ok for a child to check their phone in lessons.

My phone sits in my office drawer when I am teaching , it is switched off during the school day. That is the equivalent if a child having it in their locker during the school day, also switched off . If I didn't have an office it may be in my classroom desk drawer locked away, but it would be switched off which seems fair.

If someone from home needs to contact their child during the day they can phone the school, just as if my husband needed to speak to me he would phone the switchboard.

My children's school has the same rule as Rowlers ,to be honest phones are just phones now they don't seem to cause a lot of issues at school. Their school does have quite a rural catchment though, pupils may be on bus for an hour to school and phones whilst not essential are useful.

I was amazed when my ds lost his phone at University recently how quickly it made it back to him. Ds has also found phones and handed them in ,as he said they have so much of people's lives on them now that they are just part of life .

'That is the equivalent if a child having it in their locker'

Unfortunately, too many schools don't have lockers for their pupils.

Well if they don't have a locker , it can sit in their bag or even blazer pocket switched off. However if they are caught during the school day with it switched on, they should expect to have it confiscated until a parent can collect it.

Evil - I only brought it up as you said it was unprofessional etc (in your opinion) to have it in the classroom - so I thought next thing mumsnetters might be saying 'my dc's teacher has her phone in her classroom, how unprofessional'! When many have no choice (seriously, I only know of senior management having offices).

The school can keep it for as long as stated in the school policy. You and your son knew the rules chose to break them and now face the consequences. Tough in my opinion

13Iggis - we had a complaint once because a teacher had her phone on her table during parents evening and was seen to be checking it between appointments.

Hope they were told to get a life! They have no idea of the personaly circumstances of the teacher, whether they were doing the parents night on a day off etc or with sick children etc. (Ok they were probably on facebook, but no-one else knows!)

I regularly have parents who answer the phone during a parent consultation

Maddest ever was an Ofsted lead inspector's phone going off in the middle of an observed lesson - and he answered it!

13Iggis and Evil

My phone is on the desk during parents evening because parents complain if the appointments run late and there is no clock in the hall so it is my only clock.

If course it is wrong for a parent to answer the phone during an appointment, but even more wrong for the teacher to do so, as they are there in a purely professional capacity.