The Government yesterday approved the instructions on the use of mobile phones in schools months after a wide response from teachers and families who asked for a general regulation. And he approved them a day before the meeting, scheduled for today, of the Ministry of Education and FP with the autonomies to agree on a common position.
The answer is a document that prohibits its use in primary school and, de facto, also in secondary school, which must be switched off from the beginning until the end of the day, unless the educational community agrees that the phone can be used for certain educational tasks.
In any case, it cannot be used in high schools in any space of the center, neither in the classroom nor the corridor, toilets, library, dining room or yard. Nor on outings, excursions, camps or extracurricular activities unless the teachers indicate otherwise.
The schools, which received these instructions yesterday, must decide before the start of next year between a total ban or restriction, that is, whether it can be used in class for projects, tasks geolocation, etc., considering that school computers must be prioritized.
A decision must also be made as to whether mobile phones remain in the rucksack, in the locker, in a common box or do not enter the institute at all (in the case of a total ban). As well as what leisure activities are proposed.
Also, the faculty must agree on the use of it by the teachers, who are “reference models”, and incorporate the decision into the center’s operating rules. These latter must reflect the conclusion of the school council on what the norm will be for the rest of the staff (administrative, leisure monitors, janitors, cleaning staff) and parents when they are in school activities.
The community will also discuss the consequences of breaching the rules: minor offenses (letting the mobile phone ring in the backpack), serious (recording vexatious images of another student or a teacher) or very serious. Students and their families must be informed of what is considered non-compliance and even crimes, as well as the penalties they entail.
The ministry indicates that when a teacher catches a student using a cell phone, they must confiscate it, keep it until the end of the day and call the family. If the student does not hand it in, it will be considered a “very serious offence” and a disciplinary file may be opened. The teacher, for his part, will not be able to look at the last movements of the mobile phone and must ensure compliance with current legislation regarding data protection. In any case, the document insists on the need to educate on good use and sensitize families.
The regulatory framework is relaxed for post-compulsory studies (baccalaureate and vocational training). It prevents its use in the classroom unless it is necessary for an educational activity and leaves each center to decide how it will be used in the rest of space and time. In any case, note that the responsibility for the device will be the student’s.
A series of exceptions are established in this regulatory framework motivated by health issues (monitoring vital signs), by specific educational needs (if an application is required to participate or communicate with others, for example, if the student does not speak the official languages), in singular activities (some project), outings or trips, in school transport or in case of emergency.
In addition, there are centers that can request the territorial authorities to expand the use of mobile phones in their center because the educational project justifies it. Previously, the school council must approve the proposal with two-thirds of the community’s votes.
