School confiscating phone

[Whatshouldmynamebe321]

AIBU to think secondary school should not keep confiscated mobile phone overnight?

12 year old dd walks home alone and school had confiscated her phone during the day (this I fully support as discipline for breaching rules).
But they refused to return at end of day unless a parent collects it.

I'm a single parent and work fulltime, so unavailable during school opening hours to collect it. I feel very upset the school see fit to send her off on a lone walk home without it. I was oblivious, at work assuming she has the device to call for help if there was an emergency. We don't have a landline so, it remains her only method of communication if a disaster happened at home.

Do other schools do this?
I don't understand the logic of it having to be returned to a parent. Surely most parents work and are unable to collect before the school closes which is about 4pm.

Yes most schools do it. I dislike it, but it's very clear in the school guidelines what their phone policy is and we are told about it at Year meetings, at the start of every year.

@Zanatdy your original post was like a "blanket" the school shouldn't take the phones......

It now transpires that you raised an angel, that only once ever had a responsibility and was unfairly picked on by the school.

Even if that's true, your story is irrelevant as nothing in the OP. seems to indicate that the child hadn't broken the rules, but more like OP doesn't like the consequences.

You immediately jump to the defence that the school shouldn't keep the phones, banging on about insurance and other nonsense.

Not that the child shouldn't break the rules and face the consequences, just makes you sound like one of "those" parents.

I think you may have previously posted the same thing before Christmas. Your child needs to learn his lesson and not be so phone dependant,

@BambooFridge
😂 you're in school, sorry, yes you must be very aware of the inconvenience of them.
Anyone caught filming at my children's school is suspended for a week. There was a fight last year and the girl who filmed it and uploaded it to social media was suspended. The boys were just given a detention. They are so quick to whip out a phone and record stuff now, must be very unnerving for teachers.

I’m with you @PlurplePeopleEater. My now adult ds didn’t get into trouble at school with his phone, it wasn’t such a problem then, but I don’t believe they should keep them at the end of the day. I’d be happy with detention, or whatever, but I’d have something to say about them holding onto personal expensive property which some parents may not be able to collect for several days.

Well, then the system was fine, wasn't it, Zanatdy? Child had phone out, against the rules. Phone confiscated. Child explains why on this occasion it would be a problem. School contacts parent. Parent confirms. School returns phone. All was well.

You'd have been given the school policy when your child went to the school. If you don't like it, choose another school,

Don't decide you'll change the rules as you see fit.

In my school it's gone until the end of the year if it's seen or heard at any time in the school day. It is a condition of entry, absolutely zero tolerance.

We have VERY few issues with phones in school.

I gave my teen a brick for out and about, more to do with the high rate of muggings for phones. He does have a smart phone in the house for social contact, and he could move the sim over if need arose.
Funnily though I’ve had a lot of feedback that he needs a smart phone and complaints. Even scouts and air cadets ask for them, aid cadets have a whole app and stuff in use his smart phone was too old for. Others want quick videos or photos taken rather than a child taking notes and delaying. So it’s not actually been the great solution it seemed… at least it’s not confiscated I guess

Not surprised!

Clear guidelines with no exceptions.

I think when I was a kid I’d have refused to hand it over and taken whatever alternative punishment came my way 😂

Sigh, that old chestnut. It doesn’t, and never did apply to me.

@Needmorelego That's neither here nor there. Non-working phone boxes are not new. Nor is an absence of public phones

Oh ffs. Some proper awful replies.

My children are 12/14 there is a phone's not on show policy. DD is a full on rule follower. DS has used his at break to contact me when he feels anxious. Technical rule break. Never in class. I can see, as we have an app.

I have gently reminded him that he wouldn't want it to be confiscated. I don't actually know the rules re whether it's back at end of day or with parental collection, but I would be furious. DH works in another city, home at 7, I work until after school closes. On days when I'm in the office, they come home to a empty house. The walk home can get hairy, due to behaviour of a certain group so they both often essentially live stream their route to me, with WhatsApp commentary.

Also in our school all the homework is set via a bloody app, I have the parent version only. We are not allowed access to child version. Christ knows how kids with non smart or broken phones do anything for school.

@ohdamnitjanet that old chestnut then your point is irrelevant then 🤷‍♀️!

@MirrorBack I'm guessing you would go into isolation and they would call your mum and suspend you 😂

I’d be happy with detention, or whatever, but I’d have something to say about them holding onto personal expensive property which some parents may not be able to collect for several days.
The problem is that schools are different now to when your adult DC were at school and the technology is different.

Just in the time I was teaching I saw a shift happened from a student being sanctioned and the parents saying "what are you playing at? Get on with your work." to a not unsubstantial number of parents now saying "actually my DC doesn't have to do a detention" with their children walking around school saying "my mam and dad say you can't give me a detention so I'm not coming. You can't take my phone off me. I'll have you arrested. My mam says you'll get the sack."

The consequences of a dumb phone being out during the school day are lower than a smart phone because the technology has more features.

Schools are changing because of both these things.

I’d contact the police and tell them the phone I bought for my child has been stolen. This is totally unacceptable.

@MirrorBack Then you'd not be coming back until it was handed in! SIM card and all...

Do you not think as a parent of a child that uses his phone, it might be a good idea to find out the policy to advise him gently, that he may risk not having it for sometime?

Yep, I know. But I’d it was September and losing my phone for a year I’d weigh that up as a better option!
(if you are wondering I got suspended twice, a day, life went on. I got good grades. Though I did end up teaching…)

This thread and the one about coats in schools and other assorted punishment issues makes me think - do schools not make people write lines anymore?
Confiscating a phone until the end of the day is fine. Refusing the hand it over unless it's to a parent could cause more than a punishment to the child.
A loss of wages to the parent for having to leave work or the parent having to pay for a taxi to get to the school could mean a massive chunk out of their budget. I'm sorry but a family possibly having to go without putting the heating on, or having to cut back on food is not a suitable "punishment" for having a phone confiscated.
They should give the phone back to the student.
The student should then have to waste some of their free time by having to write 500 times "I will not use my phone in school".
Obviously for repeat offenders the punishment should move on - detention or whatever -but just give the kid their phone back ffs.
Also many children wouldn't be able to do their homework without their phone because it's all online and the phone is their internet.

You absolutely are the problem- poor little angel Johnny, can never do anything wrong, everything is everyone else's fault.

Using a smart phone at lunch does cause harm, bullying, pornography, violence is all accessible on a smart phone.

I wish parents didn't think they were above the rules.

Great idea! I'm sure they'd send armed officers to surround the building immediately until the phone was released! 👮 😆

People don't have police visits for muggings, but I'm sure they'd turn up for a phone being confiscated!!

I think when I was a kid I’d have refused to hand it over and taken whatever alternative punishment came my way

Well, yes, that's certainly an option. A choice that you could make as is getting your phone out in the first place.