STUDENTS ARE NOT PERMITTED TO USE MOBILE PHONES IN SCHOOL
Dear Parents and Students,
We would like to remind you of our school policy on mobile phone usage, in line with ADEK guidelines.
Students are not permitted to use mobile phones in school without permission.
We cannot find a practical reason to justify the use of a mobile phone during school hours. During lessons, students have supervised access to the Internet through our secure network in classrooms and labs. If a student urgently needs to contact a parent, they may use the school landline.
Therefore, please note that students must not carry mobile phones in their hands or pockets, nor use them as hotspots or for internet connectivity. This rule applies to any device that uses cellular data.
If a mobile phone is seen or heard, any staff member is authorized to confiscate it from the student immediately.
Reasons for Strict Enforcement
This policy is strictly enforced to avoid:
- Potential misuse of mobile phones: Including taking photos, videos, or accessing social media through cellular data.
- Disruptions during lessons: Phones ringing or notifications can distract students and teachers.
- Exam violations: Mobile phones are prohibited during internal and external examinations.
- Safeguarding and student wellbeing
- Cyberbullying and online safety risks
- Privacy and security concerns
- Encouraging focus
Disciplinary Measures
In line with ADEK’s behavior management policy and our school’s disciplinary procedures:
First Offence (Level 2 Misconduct)
- The mobile phone will be confiscated.
- Parents will be notified and invited to a face-to-face meeting.
- The violation will be recorded as a Level 2 misconduct in Orison.
- The phone will be returned to the parent after the meeting and signing an undertaking.
Second Offence (Level 3 Misconduct)
- The mobile phone will be confiscated.
- Parents will be notified and invited to a face-to-face meeting.
- The violation will be recorded as a Level 3 misconduct in Orison.
- The phone will be returned to the parent after the meeting and signing an undertaking.
Repeated Offence (Third Time)
- The mobile phone will be confiscated until the end of the term.
- Parents will be informed and required to sign an undertaking.
- The violation will be recorded in Orison as a repetition of Level 3 misconduct.
STUDENTS NEED TO BE AWARE OF UAE LAWS RELATED TO SOCIAL MEDIA
https://u.ae/en/media/media-in-the-uae/media-regulation
The UAE has set national standards for media content, and citizens and residents have a responsibility:
- to respect the regime of the United Arab Emirates, its symbols, and the political system
- not to offend the divine and Islamic beliefs, and show respect to other religions
- to respect the culture and heritage of the UAE
- not to offend national unity nor social cohesion and/or incite up sectarian, regional and tribal conflict
- to respect directions and policies of the UAE at the domestic and international levels
- not to harm the economic system of the country, nor spread rumours, misleading and biased news
- to respect the government policies to promote national identity and the integration of citizens in the media labour market
- to respect the principles and codes of ethics of media work
- not to publish or broadcast information harmful to children, women and other social groups, or that would incite others toward hatred and violence
- to respect the copyright rules and regulations
- not to disclose official confidential contacts, military matters or conventions or treaties concluded by the government without proper authorisations
- not to report distorted proceedings and deliberations of courts or other regulatory bodies
- not to disclose information on a criminal investigation, which has not been concluded and/or ordered to be confidential
- not to publish news, photographs, comments which invade privacy of individuals and families or destroy reputation
- forging, fabricating documents or presenting incorrect news with bad intent
- material which harms the national currency or causes a confusion over the economic situation in a country
- newsletters or advertisements, which include expressions, photographs, or drawings that are in violation of public morals or may confuse the public
- defaming public officials
- investigations which deal with more than one party, without giving an account of the views of all parties directly concerned.
Under UAE law, the following acts could be a criminal offence and result in fines or imprisonment:
- tagging a person without his consent
- posting other people’s pictures or videos without their consent
- threatening people
- spreading information that is not verified by the official sources
- gossiping about people or maligning them
STUDENTS’ RESPONSIBILITIES
- students must abide by UAE laws that govern social media
- students must not tag or post pictures, videos, and audio clips featuring other students, school staff, or school premises on social media, without consent
- students must not insult or make fun of other students or school staff on social media
- students must not spread false information or rumours, or gossip about other students and school staff
PENALTY
- offensive posts that violate the privacy of other students and school staff or break UAE laws will be considered a Level 3 violation
- students engaging in such activities may face suspension or expulsion
- such violations will be reported to relevant authorities for prosecution
