A Taranaki school is putting the hammer down on phone use on campus, locking their students’ devices away so they’re impossible to use.
It comes as a political debate has sparked over phone use in school, with National wanting to ban them, and Labour saying schools should make their own rules.
But Waitara High School is already ahead of both, outlawing phones during school hours.
Every morning, students in years 9-12 have to put their phones in locked pouches, which stay with them until the bell rings.
“If you get caught with your phone out of your pouch you hand it in to the office, and a call goes to your home telling your parents to come and pick your phone up,” student Dion Barham said.
“If it happens again you get stood down.”
At the end of the school day, students can unlock their pouches before heading home.
Principal Daryl Warburton says it's the answer they were looking for.
“Mobile phone use in schools is an epidemic, anyone who says anything else is burying their head in the sand,” he said.
“Teachers were always giving kids growlings for having phones out during class. That was a big problem actually,” student Lavinia Makaea said.
While the policy is only in its first year, the school says they already seeing progress.
“We're about four-five weeks ahead in the calendar year in terms of progress in class.
“What we've seen is a return to traditional lunchtime activities and the things that go along with it,” Warburton said.
He said there have also been upsides to how the students treat each other.
“People won't say things face-to-face that they're brave enough to say online.”
There has been some pushback, however - with students wanting restrictions lifted during break time.
“We saw too many sitting in corridors on phones playing games instead of getting out there in fresh air,” Warburton said.
“We want our relationship with each other to be deeper.”
With a roll of 400 it costs Waitara High around $11,000 a year, but Warburton says it's “worth every cent”.
“It's probably the most important thing we've done in recent years,” he said.
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