Parents from Tuscany Glen High have refused to pay for phone returns. Image: @Tuscany Glen High.
Parents refuse to pay R700 to get back kids’ confiscated phones
Parents at Tuscany High are refusing to pay a return amount of R700 to get back their children’s confiscated cellphones.
Parents from Tuscany Glen High have refused to pay for phone returns. Image: @Tuscany Glen High.
Parents from Tuscany Glen High school have refused to pay a “return fee” of R700 for their children’s cellphones that were confiscated by their teachers.
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Parents demanding their children’s phones back
The parents are now demanding that the school return the phones after pupils were believed to have been told to take their devices out of their school bags and put it on their desks by teachers.
Parents are asking that the school stick to one policy regarding cellphones as it is confusing everyone.
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According to a staff member at the school, who cannot be named for fear of reprisal, teachers marched into a Grade 8 class on May 11 and told the learners to take out their cellphones.
“The children became fearful when the teachers locked the door. They took out their phones and placed them on their desks,” said the staff member.
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Staff member spilling the beans
The staff member sided with the parents, saying teachers often tell learners to bring along their cellphones to take photos of their work.
“Not all of the learners have textbooks and sometimes there’s work on the board that they don’t complete by the end of the day, so they are allowed to take pictures of it,” the staffer explained.
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“What doesn’t make sense is that the day after this happened, learners were seen walking openly with cellphones but nothing was done, this is why the policy needs to be looked at.”
the staff member further explained
Another scenario was brought into attention of parents is when a girl said she was taken to the office by a male teacher “while being held by the neck”.
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Western Cape Education siding with the school
The Western Cape Education Department’s spokesperson Millicent Merton said all parents were given the Code of Conduct.
“In terms of the school’s Code of Conduct, learners who bring cellphones to school must hand it over to their class teacher before the start of school,” she explained.
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“No cellphones are allowed between 8am and 3pm. In terms of the Code of Conduct, learners must pay a fine to get their cellphones back, or have it returned at the end of the year. The school indicated that they implemented the rules to maintain discipline at the school.”
she concluded
