West Australia has become the next state hit by a school mobile phone ban in a bid to combat cyberbullying and student distraction.

Premier Mark McGowan’s Government’s “off and away all day” policy will come into effect from 2020 and applies to all primary and secondary public schools across the state. The WA move follows announcements in New South Wales and Victoria that will also take effect next year.

However, the WA and Victorian bans are stricter than NSW, where public high schools will have the choice to opt-in when the ban is introduced or decide to what extent they will allow phones to be used.

As part of the WA policy, high school students must have their phones turned off during school hours and kept out of sight while students from kindergarten to Year 6 will have to hand in their phones during the school day. There will be some exemptions for educational use and medical emergencies. The ban also includes tablets, smartwatches and headphones.

Ahead of the state-wide mobile phone ban, Victoria’s state government has set aside $12 million to help its schools deliver storage solutions to securely store student mobile phones.

Each school will be able to apply for funding that can be used towards secure storage resources, such as purchasing or upgrading lockers or new padlocks for existing lockers, lockable pouches for schools that do not have lockers or sufficient space, or secure storage cupboards.

OLP’s Phone Lockers are perfect for storing student devices and keeping them safe and secure at school while keeping them out of sight and out of mind, reducing their distracting effect. GPO’s can also be added to the unit allowing for mobile devices to be charged while being stored. OLP’s Phone Lockers are suited for all smartphone types and can be used to store other small items. The units are available as a 30 door and 60 door unit and due to their small size don’t take up too much room.

We also have a huge selection of steel, plastic and laminate lockers as well as laptop lockers, all available with different lock options; from key locks to digital locking mechanisms.