Mobile phones will be banned in Canberra's public-school classrooms from next year. As the ACT government makes good on its promise to bring the territory into line with the rest of the country. The announcement has some teachers up in arms complaining of a rushed timeline and limited detail on how to implement the rule.
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TVTranscript
00:00 Tough new tech rules from day one of term one.
00:05 Students will not be able to bring phones to school or use them during school hours.
00:10 As well as mobile phones, wearable devices like smart watches and in-ear headphones
00:15 will be off limits for preschool to year 10 students, in the classroom during recess and lunch,
00:21 and at off-campus events like camps and excursions.
00:24 Parents who need to contact their child or vice versa will have to use traditional channels like the front office.
00:31 The rules are a little different for college students, who can still have their devices at school,
00:36 but must keep them silenced and away from work areas during class time.
00:40 For all students, exemptions will be assessed on a case-by-case basis by principals,
00:45 for reasons including to monitor or manage a health condition, or care of responsibilities,
00:50 to support students with disability or learning difficulties, or where English is an additional language.
00:56 P to 10 teachers who want their students to use devices for a classroom activity
01:00 will also need to seek the principal's permission.
01:03 That process, which involves online forms and supporting evidence, is among teachers' early concerns.
01:09 It seems in the procedures to be unnecessarily complicated.
01:13 Along with consultation, which the union says has been comprehensive on the policy itself,
01:18 but limited on the rollout.
01:20 It's week nine of term, we've only got a few days of this school year left.
01:25 There's just no information about what resources and support will be provided to teachers.
01:31 Schools already have systems in place to manage student behaviour, and so they'll just implement those.
01:37 In recognition of the expected teething problems, term one will be a transition period.
01:42 Schools and teachers will take a less punitive approach,
01:45 and use cautions to help students understand the new policy.
01:49 [BLANK_AUDIO]