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?

[13Iggis]

I get the idea of taking them off "persistent, disruptive offenders" but in a secondary school one child's mobile might got off in Maths, French, English, History - all in one day, yet no one teacher would remove it as only once in their class..? If your child's lessons were being interrupted regularly by phones (and think, maybe 30 children, so even if each child's only goes off once each week..) I'm sure you would expect teachers to do something about it.
This is all not connected to the legitmate use of phones to take photos of work, research facts, use as calculators, stopwatches etc, which many teachers now do.

[hackmum]

Domino: "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."

Well, in this case the argument was won. Sometimes issues discussed on here can be morally complicated, but this one really wasn't - morally and legally, the school had no right to keep the OP's phone. It's very very simple.

Of course some people refuse to see that, because they like nothing better than sitting in judgement about other people's parenting from their own lofty perspective of moral superiority. It must be nice for them to know that their own parenting is so perfect. I feel sorry for their kids, though.

[BoneyBackJefferson]

The arguement was "won" when the OP surrendered her son's phone to the school. It was in the end a compromise both sides got what they wanted.

as for being judgemental "I feel sorry for their kids, though." is a nice bit of hypocrisy.

[notimetotidy]

Have you got your phone back?

[notimetotidy]

Sorry, missed the bit where she gave her son's phone in! Sorry.