Following the state election, the state government has committed to banning student access to mobile phones in all secondary schools in South Australia, across all school levels.
The intent of this policy is to promote schools as:
- safe environments with reduced negative impacts of inappropriate use of devices at school, such as cyberbullying, exposure to harmful content, and critical incidents that involve mobile phones
- classroom environments where teachers can teach, and students can learn free from distractions caused by personal use of devices
- having break times with quality time for our young people away from screens, encouraging physical activity and play and meaningful face to face connections with peers
Under the incoming policy, all students must keep their mobile phones and other personal devices ‘off and away’ at school, unless granted an exemption by their school under the department’s policy. The policy also applies while students are participating in school activities such as camps and excursions.
All secondary schools have been provided with a policy template that is largely set, with minimal opportunity for local context including:
- storage of personal devices at school
- responses to non-compliance
- exemptions in relation to exceptional circumstances
We have had initial conversations with staff and Governing Council and during Term 1 these will continue, along with further communication with students and families.
Keep an eye out for our parent information night on Tuesday 4 April, to learn more about the mobile phone policy changes and what this means for students at our school. Further information on this will soon be emailed to all parents and caregivers.
We look forward to working with you on the successful introduction of this policy.
