Students in South Australian schools will be obliged to either lock up their mobile phones or leave them at home.
Principals of public secondary schools have informed parents of the ban, which will take effect at the beginning of the 2023-’24 academic year.
Following the Northern Territory, Victoria, and Western Australia, South Australia will become the fourth Australian state and territory to adopt the prohibition, as pledged by Labor at the most recent state election.
If the Labor Party wins next year’s state election, the ban will be extended to New South Wales.
During school hours, devices must be left at home or locked in storage, and lockable lead-lined pouches will be supplied to pupils who require access to their mobile phones.
If a student needs their phone for translation, medical purposes, or to contact their parents or caretakers, the school will provide them with a card exempting them from the restriction.
The prohibition also applies to school events, such as camps and field trips.
In a letter dated November 25, the principal of Marryatville High School, John Tiver, requested feedback from parents regarding the cell phone ban.
Mr. Tiver stated, “Under the forthcoming policy, all students must keep their mobile phones and other personal gadgets off and out of sight at school, unless their school is granted an exemption under the department’s policy.”
Mr. Tiver emphasized that the cell phone ban will prevent bullying and give pupils with a distraction-free studying environment.
Mr. Tiver stated that the [phone policy] will assist encourage environments with fewer negative effects of inappropriate device use at school, such as cyberbullying, exposure to hazardous content, and critical occurrences involving mobile phones.
‘[It will also create] classroom environments where teachers can educate and students can learn without being distracted by their own device use.
Breaks can be used to encourage physical activity and play, as well as meaningful face-to-face interactions with peers.
Blair Boyer, the Education Minister of South Australia, stated that schools will be allowed a transition period to implement the statewide regulations requiring all grade levels to turn off their phones.
Mr. Boyer stated that schools must decide the “proper storage strategy” for their kids as well as “control” access to mobile devices.
Mr. Boyer stated that individual schools will continue to identify the optimal storage method for their location.
Access to personal devices must be regulated during school hours so that students can be fully engaged in their learning and interactions with teachers and peers.
Efforts to implement the ban – promised by Labor before the last state election – accelerated in the wake of incidents involving students using their phones to record fights that received widespread media coverage.
»South Australian state high schools ban students from using cell phones«