‘Girls, no mobile phones till lunch’

A new rule at a Lower Hutt school means its teenage girls are allowed to check their phones only at lunchtime.

Sacred Heart College has introduced a rule that means cellphones cannot be used at school except in the lunch break, or if the phone is being used as a learning tool.

In July, the college told parents of the change in its newsletter, asking them to contact their daughters only at lunch. They could also get in touch before and after school.

Cellphones were a distraction in class, and there was also concern around girls walking through the school halls and up stairs with their eyes on the screen, principal Maria Potter said.

The rule was simple – no cellphones in class, without permission to use it as part of the school’s bring your own device (BYOD) policy.

Students caught with a mobile were asked to put them away, or place them on the desk. ‘‘They go through a warning system. If girls choose not to do that, a teacher can take the phone off them.’’

Students were not allowed to use their phones at interval but that had not posed a problem, Potter said. It meant the girls were talking to each other, and socialising in a more conventional way.

Parents needing to contact their daughters urgently could do so through the school office, as could students if they wanted to reach their parents.

The school had not had any negative feedback around the new policy, which was not a ban, but a way to teach students how to use their phones appropriately.

Other principals in Wellington did not see the need for a similar rule but said they had processes in place to make sure cellphones were being used appropriately.

At Wellington High, students could use their phones if they needed to during class, but there were times when a teacher could direct students to put them away, principal Nigel Hanton said.

There was not a blanket rule restricting use, but the school expected students to recognise there was a time and a place for texting and phoning.

Secondary Principals’ Association president Sandy Pasley said the Sacred Heart ban was not out of the ordinary. ‘‘It is really important students get from one class to another. If they can’t get to class on time, that’s a real problem.’’

Some schools had adopted banning cellphones and laptops during lunchtimes as a way to incentivise interacting with classmates, she said.