An Irish principal has come up with a clever idea to keep phones out of the classroom - without a complete ban.
Karl Hegarty, 40, who is principal at Leinster Senior College, in Newbridge, Co Kildare, didn't want students to be distracted by their mobiles but didn't want to banish them completely.
And he believes the long break from school because of Covid-19 means youngsters will be more attached to their devices than ever.
So he invented the Phoneaway Box, an acrylic box which fits onto the front of a school locker.
Students can lock up their mobile before class and take it out at lunch or after school.
Teachers will be able to see which students have deposited their phone and if a student is required to use a phone in class, their teacher can sign a sheet for permission.
Karl believes an outright ban on phones is "draconian" and will "create conflict."
He explained: "Phoneawaybox respects a student’s right to have a phone before classes start and during lunchtime, and this is balanced by enabling discipline when it is time for work."
He added: "No teenager in today’s world is going to do without a phone until the end of the term.
"You can be sure that the moment a teacher confiscates a phone, the student has already decided where and how he/she will get another one."
He added: "We must do better than support a regime that encourages students to hide their mobile phones or to have the attitude that ‘if I’m not caught it’s okay’.
"The time has come to create an environment that supports the values we want to see in our students: Responsibility, Discipline, and Commitment."
More information can be found at phoneawaybox.com.
