Ashburton College is banning most of its students from using cell phones during school hours following what it describes as "harmful" behaviour.
It comes amid a review into allegations of bullying at the high school, where multiple families have described desperate scenes with teenage victims attempting or considering suicide.
The review was ordered following a 1News investigation, aired in September, which uncovered 16 allegations of bullying at the college over the last eight years. Many of those allegations were recent, including suicide attempts by two students aged 13 and 14 this year.
They often involved social media abuse with families describing hateful comments online or in messages, including an incident where a student was allegedly told to kill themselves and given specific instructions on how to do so.
College representatives have defended their procedures, saying they act on the advice of the Ministry of Education, NetSafe, He Waka Tapu and the police as appropriate.
However, the school's principal Ross Preece recently emailed parents and caregivers announcing cell phone restrictions for all students from the start of next year.
Year 9 to Year 12 students would not be allowed to access their phones during the day, while Year 13 students would be allowed "discreet use".
A spokesperson said the decision was the outcome of "extensive considerations", which have already been underway for a year.
They highlighted how the college was one of many schools to introduce cell phone restrictions in recent years. Some have a similar ban, while others allow flexible use but restrict phones in classrooms.
Preece acknowledged Ashburton College students had been involved in "harmful" behaviour, but stopped short of using the word "bullying".
"Some students are creating or sharing content that is harmful or incites others to do something inappropriate, which causes disruption to a school environment," he said.
A spokesperson added that misuse of social media was a "well-recognised matter for all schools nationally".
The school described the decision as "multi-faceted". Preece suggested the move would strengthen "oral language skills" and encourage conversations between students beyond their screens.
"Conversations are required in order to work together," he said.
"The ability to relate and engage positively with others also plays an important role in enhancing the culture of our school."
Students would be required to keep their phones turned off and in their bags for the entire school day including interval and lunchtimes. If a phone was seen by a staff member it would be confiscated, and any refusal to hand it over would become a "pastoral matter".
Parents could leave messages with school office if they needed to contact their children during the day.
Other changes may follow as the college continues its review into its bullying policies and procedures, which is being conducted with input from the Ministry of Education and the New Zealand School Trustees Association.
The review is expected to wrap up by the end of Term 4. The school did not respond when asked whether the results would be made public or kept secret.
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