Tauranga Girls’ College bans cellphone use during school day: What parent, other principals say

A Tauranga father-of-three backing a school’s decision to ban students from using mobile phones says parents should not worry about being able to reach their kids during the day.

Tauranga Girls’ College announced on Thursday that students would be banned from using their phones during classes or breaks from the start of the next school year.

A letter to parents and caregivers said phones could not be “visible or used” during the school day.

It said evidence supported the view that the “hauora/wellbeing of students” improved without phones because they could build social interactions with those “immediately around them”.

The announcement comes after the National Party said in August it would ban the use of cellphones in schools if elected, with leader Christopher Luxon saying it would “help lift achievement”.

The NZ Herald reported at the time that schools including Auckland’s Diocesan School for Girls, Otago Boys’ High School, Ashburton College and Rotorua Intermediate already banned cellphones during school hours.

Napier High School followed suit in November, requiring students to keep their phones off and in their bags from 8.40am to 3pm.

Dion Belcher is one parent happy to see schools keeping students off their phones when they should be learning.

He said he had three children at school, including one at Tauranga Intermediate School and another at Ōtūmoetai College.

Belcher said both schools had a no-cellphones rule during class time and he believed more schools should follow their lead.

He said he also believed schools should be able to conduct bag searches to ensure students were following the rules.

“[Phones are] an interruption inside the schooling and education system,” Belcher said.

“I don’t think they need them there.”

Tauranga father Dion Belcher believes cellphones should be banned in schools. Photo / Alex Cairns

He said some parents may believe they would not be able to reach their child at school without a cellphone.

“I’ve got three children [at] different schools. I never have an issue going through the school itself to get a hold of my children,” he said.

Calling the school office or emailing was the best way to reach his children during the school day, he’d found.

He said he also believed reducing students’ opportunities to spend time on social media would be positive.

Ōtūmoetai College principal Russell Gordon supports cellphones being banned during class time.

Ōtūmoetai College principal Russell Gordon said the school did not allow cellphone use in class.

“That is our position and it’s the expectation.”

Gordon said the school had a three-step process to remove devices from students if rules were not followed, including asking a parent to pick up a confiscated phone if necessary.

Students were able to use their cellphones during break times but the school had implemented “a lot more activities at intervals and lunch to get involved with”.

He said staff at the school were surveyed before cellphone rules were finalised.

“I did talk to our kids about why we’re doing it. Everyone has rights and responsibilities. Everybody has the right, but we have the responsibility not to disrupt [each other].”

Tauranga Intermediate principal Cameron Mitchell said his school had implemented a cellphone ban for “a number of years” and found it effective.

Mount Maunganui College principal Alastair Sinton said the school introduced a phone ban during class time in Term 4 last year.

“This has been very successful and well-received by the majority of parents, students and all staff.

“We can appreciate the appeal of a break-time ban and will follow any national directive, however with the changes that have occurred in the workforce and family life, I can foresee some challenges in how students and families co-ordinate life outside of school.”

Secondary Principals' Association president Vaughan Couillault is also the principal of Auckland's Papatoetoe High School. Photo / Dean Purcell

Secondary Principals’ Association president Vaughan Couillault said the association “supported the right for principals to be self-managing”.

Couillault said schools already had the mandate to make decisions for their communities and he believed legislative money would be better invested in issues such as the ”vaping epidemic”.

Tauranga MP Sam Uffindell said the National Party was “in the process of forming a Government and appointing ministers”.

It was “difficult to talk about timelines for implementing policy”, such as the cellphone ban, until these appointments were made.

Tauranga MP Sam Uffindell, National Party. Photo / Alex Cairns

Ministry of Education Te Tai Whenua (Central) hautū (deputy secretary) Jocelyn Mikaere said schools were governed through their boards of trustees who could make rules on a range of matters, including cellphones in school.

“Schools and kura know their students best and what policies to put in place that will provide quality learning opportunities and contribute to improved achievement.”

Mikaere said it was expected schools would “communicate clearly with parents what their school policies are and to consult with their school communities when they update or change them”.

“Most students understand the need for rules, the rule-making process, and the important role they themselves play in promoting positive school environments,” Mikaere said.

She said schools did not need to tell the ministry if cellphones were banned but was “aware of schools that have”.

The ministry would work with the incoming Government to “support their education sector priorities”.

Unesco’s Global Education Monitoring Report found evidence was mixed on the impact of device use in schools, the NZ Herald reported in August.

The use of technology could improve education but student use of devices beyond a moderate threshold had a negative impact.

Tauranga Girls’ College was approached for further comment.

Michaela Pointon is an NZME reporter based in the Bay of Plenty and was formerly a feature writer.