More than 2,100 have signed a petition asking for Gorse Academies Trust to relax strict rules regarding students using their mobile phones.
The organised petition has been set up to voice concerns surrounding the trust’s current policy of confiscating pupils' phones for 48 hours if they’re used anywhere on school grounds.
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Sarah Wood, a parent at Farnley Academy, who has signed the petition, said: "I do believe it's a safeguarding issue.
"If the school take phones off any of the children and confiscate them for 48 hours they have no means of contact in an emergencies or to contact home.
"I'm not going against the rules, if children have their phones out in school when they shouldn't then fair enough take them for the day, but then give them their phone back at the end of day.
"Unfortunately I'm not fortunate enough to be able to collect my son from school, he uses his phone to let me know he is home safe."
The petition is calling for confiscated mobile phones to be returned to a pupil at the end of the school day, not a 48hr confiscation, and the ban on using mobile phones on the public footpath leading up to the school gates of Farnley Academy to be removed.
Although the organisers agree that a phone confiscation within school hours is sufficient.
The petition had been raised after a report of an attack close to the school, but police have now confirmed that the attack was 'categorically false'
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A spokesperson for the trust says: “Student safety is of paramount importance to us and we currently have an increased staff presence at the beginning and end of the school day to ensure this. We will continue to liaise with the police in relation to this incident and act on any safety advice that they provide.
“Our behaviour policy provides clear instructions to students and their families on our expectations around the use of mobile phones. It is extremely rare for a phone to be confiscated but when it does happen during the school day, parents are made aware. We do not believe that a change in our rules surrounding mobile phones is required at this time but we keep all policies under constant review, including this one.”
Parent's had previously voiced concerns over the policy in an story back in November.
