Student Use of Digital Devices and Online Service Procedure 2024
PURPOSE
Glenmore Park High School acknowledges the educational value of digital devices and online services in supporting and enhancing the educational outcomes of our students. We also acknowledge the distraction from and negation of learning from students' inappropriate and habitual mobile phone use at school and in the classroom, and their contribution to escalating behaviours of concern exhibited and experienced by students while at school.
Teachers and students have the right to teach and learn in a classroom environment free from interruption by mobile phones. It is DOE policy that a staff member may confiscate any item, including mobile phones, that disrupts the learning of students. Mobile phones in schools present several challenges. These include:
• Mobile phones interrupting lessons and disrupting the learning of others
• Mobile phones disrupting examinations and assessment tasks
• Theft, loss, or damage of mobile phones
• Mobile phones possibly being used to contact outsiders who may attempt to enter the school illegally
• Invasion of privacy through misuse of pictures/videos/voice recording and social media
• Exposing staff or students to explicit or other inappropriate material
• Issues revolving around bullying and cyberbullying (harass, threaten, abuse, vilify or embarrass other students or staff) through text messages, photographs, videos and online chat platforms
• Prolonged use proven to have negative impact on physical and mental health including brain development
In keeping with the DoE's Policy on Students Use of Digital Devices and Online Services, Glenmore Park High School, from Term 4 2023, became a Mobile Phone Free Zone from the moment students enter the school site,
Medical exemptions may apply through school approved applications.
SCOPE
This procedure provides a consistent framework for the safe, responsible, and respectful use of digital devices and online services by students in our school to support our students to authentically engage with our core values of care, opportunity and success. It sets out the shared responsibilities of school staff, students and parents and carers. it also provides a framework to manage potential risks to student safety and wellbeing.
This procedure covers student use of digital devices and online services in school-related settings, including on school grounds, at school-related activities and outside of school where there is a clear and close connection between the school and the conduct of students. This procedure covers the use of school-provided and personal digital devices and all online services.
OUR SCHOOL’S APPROACH
As a BYOD school, Year 7 and 8 students are expected to bring and use a digital device (such as a laptop, Chromebook, or iPad) in class as a tool to support, engage with and demonstrate evidence of their learning. Mobile phones are not an acceptable device within our BYOD Framework.
Our school has been deemed a Phone Free Zone. Mobile phones are not to be used by students across cohorts during class learning time, or in the playground during school hours. To support this, all students have been assigned a personal PhoneLocker Pouch. While the PhoneLocker Pouch is considered school property, it will be the responsibility of each student to look after their Pouch and bring it with them to school every day. Students are expected to secure their mobile phone in their PhoneLocker Pouch for the duration of the school day, including carnivals and incursions. For external school events, the organizer will work with their supervising Head Teacher regarding the expectations of mobile phone access/use during the event.
Headphones and pods are not permitted at school except in cases where students have been instructed to bring them for educational purposes (such as for NAPLAN) and on those occasions they are only permitted be used for that specific purpose. All smart watches are to be on aeroplane mode to prevent notifications from disrupting learning.
During recess and lunch students are encouraged to participate in other activities including games and a range of socially interactive activities.
Students are expected to follow our school's core school values of care, opportunity, and success with the use of digital devices and whilst online. Students are not permitted to use any digital device in the toilets or changerooms under any circumstances.
PHONE FREE ZONE AND IMPLEMENTATION OF PHONELOCKER PROGRAM
• Should students bring a mobile phone to school, it must remain switched off, locked in a PhoneLocker Pouch, and placed in the student’s bag upon entry to the school site, and remain there for the entire time that the student is present on the school site, and for the duration of the school day.
• The school accepts no responsibility for mobile phones that are brought to school.
CONTACT BETWEEN STUDENTS AND PARENTS / GUARDIANS DURING THE SCHOOL DAY
Where parents / guardians need to contact their child during school hours, they are to call the Front Office on 47330155, and the school will assist in the most appropriate way.
Should a student need to contact their parent/guardian, they must approach the Front Office at Recess or Lunch time, cite the reason for parental/guardian contact, and ask the SASS staff to make phone contact.
EXEMPTIONS
Exemptions from parts of this procedure will apply for some students in some circumstances. It is acknowledged that special consideration is to be given to students who may need to use their mobile phone as part of their Health Care Plan, for example, students with diabetes who use a mobile phone to check insulin levels.
Parents and carers can request an exemption from the Principal in writing using the appropriate application form. Please contact the school office if you need to discuss this further.
These will be considered on their merits and granted when required at the Principal's discretion.
School counsellors may also initiate requests for exemptions from parts of these procedures where relevant. Exemptions may cover times when, or places where, use would otherwise not be permitted within a Phone Free Zone. Except where required by law, the School Principal has discretion to consider and approve exemptions and to choose which parts of the school procedure the exemptions apply. The exemption may be ongoing or for a certain time period.
RESPONSIBILITIES AND OBLIGATIONS:
Students are to:
· Be safe, responsible, and respectful users of approved digital devices and online services and support their peers to be the same.
· Respect and follow school rules and procedures and the decisions made by staff, knowing that other schools may have different arrangements.
· Adhere to the school's approach regarding the establishment of Glenmore Park High School as a Phone Free Zane and implementation of the PhoneLocker Program.
· Communicate respectfully and collaboratively with peers, school staff and the school community and behave in the ways described in the NSW DoE Behaviour Code for Students
Principal and Teachers are to:
· Deliver learning experiences that encourage safe, responsible, and respectful use of digital devices and online services. This includes:
• Following the school's approach on the establishment of GPHS as a Phone Free Zone and implementation of the PhoneLocker Program.
• Implementing school expectations for using digital devices and online services, in line with this procedure and departmental policy.
• Identifying strategies to ensure that all students can engage in classroom activities including strategies to accommodate students without a digital device.
• Reading and abiding by the Terms of Service for any online services they use in teaching, including those limiting use by age.
• Educating students about online privacy, intellectual property, copyright, digital literacy, and other online safety related issues.
· Model appropriate use of digital devices and online services in line with departmental policy.
· Respond to and report any breaches and incidents of inappropriate use of digital devices and online services as required by school procedures, departmental policy, and any statutory and regulatory requirements. This includes:
• Reporting the creation, possession, or distribution of indecent or offensive material to the Incident Support and Report hotline as required by the Incident Notification and Response Policy and Procedures and consider any mandatory reporting requirements.
• Working with the department and the Office of the eSafety Commissioner (if necessary) to resolve cases of serious online bullying and image-based abuse.
• Following the school's behaviour management plan when responding to any incident of inappropriate student behaviour relating to the use of digital devices or online services.
• If feasible and particularly as issues emerge, support parents and carers to understand strategies that promote their children's safe, responsible, and respectful use of digital devices and online services.
• Participate in professional development related to appropriate use of digital devices and online services.
Non-Teaching Staff, Volunteers and Contractors are to:
• Be aware of the department's policy, this procedure and act in line with the conduct described.
• Report any inappropriate use of digital devices and online services to the Principal, school Executive Team or school staff they are working with.
Parent or Caregiver expectations: in accordance with the procedures parents/carers should:
• Contact the school Front Office to pass on messages rather than contacting a student directly on their device (for acceptable reasons only, students will be permitted to use a phone in the front office to contact their parents/carers under the supervision of the office staff).
• Understand that the school takes no responsibility for loss or damage to phones or personal electronic devices.
• Work collaboratively with the school and help reinforce Glenmore Park High’s Student Use of Digital Devices and Online Service Procedure 2024 with their child/ren.
COMPLAINTS:
If a student, parent or carer has a complaint relating to aspects of the implementation of these procedures, they can contact the Principal. If the issue cannot be resolved, they are to refer to NSW DoE Making A Complaint About NSW Public Schools
COMMUNICATION OF THIS PROCEDURE TO THE SCHOOL COMMUNITY
This procedure was communicated to staff, students, parents and guardians by the end of Week 10, Term 3, 2023, in readiness for implementation from the start of Week 1, Term 4, 2023. It was communicated to students and parents via mailout during the January 2024 holidays . It is the currently operative policy of the school.