Leitrim schools have mixed reaction to government's smartphone ban

Last month, secondary schools around the country were issued with a letter from Minister for Education Norma Foley with details of the Governments planned ban on smartphones.

“We are still digesting the letter we received from the minister,” said Adrian Jackson, principal of Carrick-on-Shannon Community school in Leitrim.

Mr Jackson said that they would be complying with the minister's directive but that there will be challenges, like what to do with students' phones in the mornings and how to police their use through the school day.

“They are not challenges we cannot overcome, but it just means we will have to go a different direction to the way we have been doing up to now,” he said.

Up until now schools were left to their own devices in deciding how to manage students phone usage. Under the new plan schools are told that phones should be kept in lockers, cubbies or left switched off in bags. Though exceptions should be made for students who need access to their phone for specific reasons.

In the last year, Carrick-on-Shannon school has implemented a relaxed policy to phones, allowing students to use them in class for research in class when directed to by teachers, according to Jackson.

He feels that this is a good way of teaching students to use the phone as a learning support and to teach them discipline around it. “One of the things that schools are charged with is preparing our students for life after school, and the wider world, and it is a fact of life that we all work with the phone in our pocket. It's learning not to be distracted by it,” he said.

“I am sure that there are staff members who would agree with the Minister and there are staff members who would prefer to keep things as they are here,” he says. 

Under the ban, students would be advised to go to the school office in case of emergency where they need to contact their parents or guardians.

The ban is also intended to give students a rest from their phones while at school, which is something that Diarmuid McCaffery, principle of Balinamore community school supports.

In his school, their current policy is that students keep phones in lockers. Their goal is to limit the amount of time on phones in school and give pupils more time to interact with each other, he said. Though the government's plan is not massively different to their own policy he feels that an outright ban is too restrictive and difficult to police. 

Martin Fallon, principle of Drumshanbo vocational school welcomes the ban due to the negative effects he feels phones have on children and says that it is inline with the schools already existing policy.

“The smart phones have several negative effects on our students - they're a distraction for a start … We have a very successful and popular evening study programme in our school. Many of those attending will tell us that the reason they attend is that they are not allowed access to their mobiles. They consequently find it easier to study here than at home,” he said.

He also feels that students' ability to converse has diminished largely due to smart phone use: “On any city bus, train or even our local link, we can all see those around us, adults and teens alike staring into their smartphone … smartphones are not going away ! I think we can still limit the damage being caused to our students though… The Minister can help by placing an outright ban on the sale of smartphones to under 18's,” he said.

Right now, it is not clear when exactly the ban will be implemented, but it has been made clear to schools that it is in the works.

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