Mobile Phone Policy

The new Mobile Phone and Personal Device Policy has been introduced to support:

• safe environments with reduced negative impacts of inappropriate use of devices at school, such as cyberbullying, exposure to harmful content, and critical incidents that involve mobile phones
• classroom environments where teachers can teach, and students can learn, free from distractions caused by personal use of devices
• use of breaks as quality time away from screens, encouraging physical activity and play and meaningful face-to-face connections with peers.

Students are required to keep their personal devices, including mobile phones, off and away between the start and end of each school day and while attending authorised off site school activities (camps and excursions). This also includes after school sport and music commitments.

The policy includes:

• Mobile phones and smart phones
• Smart watches and other wearable devices that can send/or receive calls and messages and/or connect to an internet network
• Laptops, iPads, tablets etc that are not owned by the school and not part of our BYOD agreement

• Students can have access to a personal device while travelling to and from school
• Students can choose to keep their device at home or off and away in their locker
• Signing in/out – you can advise us of planned absences or appointments through email
• Canteen payments can be made by cash or card, or order on QKR app
• There will be replacement technology available for classroom activities (e.g iPads and cameras)

Where students use a personal device at school without an approved exemption, or use it inappropriately, a response will be provided in line with the school’s behaviour support policy.

Students who bring their devices to school are expected to store them off and away in their personal locker. Lockers must be locked using the school supplied keypad lock/padlock, or their own padlock. The school takes no responsibility for personal devices brought to school.

Mobile phones and personal devices that have been confiscated during the school day will be stored in a named envelope inside a locked box in the Front Office.

Some individual students have extenuating reasons for needing access to their personal devices during school hours:

• The device is used to monitor or help manage a health condition.
• The device is a negotiated adjustment to a learning program for a student with a disability.
• The student has extenuating personal circumstance, e.g primary carer to a family member.

Parents and carers will need to contact the relevant Year Level Leader to discuss an exemption for their child.

Exemptions will only be granted in exceptional circumstances as outlined above, and where there is no reasonable alternative, and need to be approved by the Principal or delegate. Students who have been granted an exemption can only use their personal device for the specific purpose for which the exemption was granted.

Exemptions, if approved, will be recorded on Daymap and a Personal Device Exemption Card will be issued to the student which must be carried at all times.

Year 7 Leader: Carly Brooks

Year 8 Leader: Lucy Burg

Year 9 Leader: Cambell Baker

Year 10 Leader: Jack Daly

Year 11 Leader: Claire Meatheringham

Year 12 Leader: Sol Naidu