Gympie High, James Nash schools ban mobile phones

Two Gympie high schools are turning their grounds into mobile phone black spots from 2023, with one principal deeming them a “significant distraction”. Vote in our poll.

Gympie's two public high schools, Gympie State High and James Nash State High, are banning mobile phones during school time in 2023.

Gympie’s two state high schools have joined a growing list turning their grounds into mobile phone black spots from next year.

Gympie State High School and James Nash State High School have announced the devices will be banned during school hours following extensive consultation with students, staff, parents, and the community.

Gympie High principal Anthony Lanskey said in a letter to parents and published online mobile phones had at times been useful for student learning, but overall the bad outweighed the good.

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Mr Lanskey said phones were useful in connecting students to the internet and supporting learning “they were also identified as the source of significant distraction for students”.

James Nash State High School released a similar letter saying research by Healthed found phone bans improved academic performance, particularly among at-risk students, and cut down on screen time.

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Gympie State High School principal Anthony Lanskey said in a letter published online and sent to parents that mobile phones had been identified as a “significant distraction for students.

Phones at the two schools will be outlawed with the help of Yondr, a company that creates secure phone pouches reportedly in use at more than 1000 schools worldwide.

The pouches are locked when students enter school grounds, and unlocked when students leave at the end of the day.

The pouch itself will be school property, and required to be returned at the end of year.

Students will be required to keep their pouches on them at all times, and be responsible for bringing it to and from school each day.

Parents needing to contact their children during school hours will be required to do so through student services.

The Yondr system being used by Gympie State High School and James Nash State High School in 2023 requires students to lock their mobile phones inside a pouch. The pouch can be unlocked as they leave the grounds at the end of the day.

Students caught on their phones during school hours will have to hand it over to student services, where a parent or guardian can collect it.

Repeated violations could lead to suspension.

Brisbane’s Corinda State High School was the first in Queensland to ban phones in 2019.

Pimpama State Secondary College, Upper Coomera State College and Cairns State High School are among other schools to have pulled the pin on mobiles during school time.